A Blank Canvas
by TideTurner27
Summary: Third year AU. What if Professor Lupin wasn't in the same compartment as Harry. Witness how a small change results in drastic consquences. Powerful!Harry, HarryXDaphne, SlightBashings .
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is my first fanfiction story, so I am a little nervous about it. I plan to update this story once a week. Suggestions or Comments to help improve are appreciated. The characters in this story may be a little OC. Thank you for taking the time to read this note. I would love to hear your thoughts. Please review and follow and perhaps favorite.

 **Beta's Note:** Hello Everyone! You'll probably get my thoughts only when the literature becomes too intense. All I can say is that don't mind the depressing parts. I promise it'll get better. Cheers!

 **Acknowledgement:** A big shoutout to my beta, the rainy Abe.

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

Daphne Greengrass watched as the trees whipped past, completely lost in her musings. Beside her Astoria was a bubble of nervous energy. Their compartment was empty save for them and Daphne almost preferred it that way. She wondered where Tracy was; probably with her older sister. Daphne briefly considered heading out to look for them, but decided against it. She didn't really want to start the year by running into certain other people. She was jerked out of her daydreams when she felt Astoria hiccup beside her. Concerned she turned to her to see her sister on the verge of tears.

"Tori, are you okay?"

"Not really..." Astoria replied without meeting her eyes.

"Do you feel sick?" Daphne asked placing a hand on her forehead. She did fell a little clammy. "Should I go call someone?"

"No, Please Don't.", Astoria said vehemently holding her; as though to stop her from moving," I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

"Nervous? About what? ", Daphne asked genuinely confused. Astoria unlike herself, was an outgoing person. She made friends quickly and was well liked by her peers. Daphne couldn't see any reason why Astoria would be nervous of the upcoming year.

Astoria looked conflicted, and after a long moment of fidgeting, she answered in a meek voice, "The Sorting." She finally met Daphne's eyes and continued, "I'm really nervous about the Sorting."

Daphne remembered her own Sorting; While the hat had been conflicted for a while between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and her Sorting had taken slightly longer than most, she didn't see it as a particularly bad memory. She could see however, that the idea of Sorting terrified Astoria and decided to approach the topic gently. " Is there a particular reason for being nervous. I don't know how much you know about it, but I assure you it does not hurt one bit."

"I'm scared that I might not be sorted into Slytherin. Our family has always been Slytherins for as back as we can trace it. What if I'm not?" Astoria said in a tone of despair.

Daphne smiled at her," Tori, we do not really care if you go to another house. Father and Mother won't disown you just because you are sorted somewhere different, and I have no problem with you being in any other house either."

"Even if I go to Gryffindor." , Astoria countered.

"Seeing you right now, you're not exactly the epitome of bravery; so I doubt you'll end up there. But I assure you, we won't treat you any different ." Daphne could see Astoria visibly relaxing at this. " If it helps, from how much I know about you, I'd be willing to wager you will end up in Slytherin after all."

" You really think so?"

"Yes Astoria, I truly do." Daphne replied sincerely. "In fact, I'll even go as far as to save you a seat beside me", she suddenly found herself engulfed in a tight hug. Smiling she rubbed her sister's back. Seeing the cabin door open , she gently separated herself from her sister to see that the lunch trolley had arrived. " Come now, I'm sure all that worrying has made you a little hungry."

Daphne spent the rest of the afternoon answering Astoria's questions. The two sisters enjoyed each other's company while they talked about topics ranging from the subjects to the boat ride that Astoria would experience shortly.

* * *

Their conversation was interrupted when the cabin door opened for the second time, to reveal Cho Chang. Daphne's mood immediately turned dark as she saw her. Chang had made it her goal to make Daphne's life as miserable as possible, and was one of the chief reasons why Daphne's life at Hogwarts wasn't as fun as it could be. She had spread rumors about Daphne in her first year which had seen her alienated from most of the other houses, and even her own housemates tended to treat her with contempt. It didn't help matters that Daphne was something of an Introvert, and did nothing to stop these rumors or seek any vindication. Tracy was the only one remotely close to her, as they were childhood friends, having grown up together. Daphne usually spent her time studying and doing her best not to be noticed. However this was impossible when Chang was around.

But before she could say even a word to Daphne, a familiar voice of indifference interrupted her, "Chang, would you mind not taking up the entire corridor. Some of us need to go through. ", Chang scowled at being interrupted, but she knew that she could not say anything at the moment. She threw a final smirk at Daphne, before walking away.

Blaise walked into the cabin, annoyance clear on his face. He held up a hand as Daphne began to say something. "I didn't do it for you." There was an unspoken rule among the Slytherin to stand up for each other and seem united to the other houses. In truth however, Slytherin had their own fair share of arguments. Daphne pursed her lips before sitting back down.

Noticing Astoria for the first time, Blaise asked, " Who is she?"

" This is Astoria, my little sister. She's starting Hogwarts this year." Daphne explained.

"You don't look like sisters." Daphne knew this to be true; while she had inherited straight blond hair from her mother, Astoria had the brown curls of their father. In fact the only trait that the two shared were their blue eyes." I hope that your sister can stand up for herself, unlike you."

Daphne pursed her lips but said nothing to deny the accusation. Astoria seemed confused by the sudden change in her demeanor. While she was thankful to Blaise, she wished that he would leave.

Her wish was answered when the Express suddenly slowed down. Blaise looked around confused, "We can't be there yet." , before abruptly leaving the cabin .

" Daphne, what did he mean?" Astoria asked.

Daphne sighed while wondering how to explain her own predicament to Astoria. But before she could formulate a response, the train stopped with a jolt, making both of them fall against the chair. Almost immediately the lamps went out too.

"Daphne, Is this normal?", Astoria asked, beginning to panic.

Daphne shook her head, before pulling out her wand to cast a lumos. The light immediately lit the cabin throwing creepy shadows on the wall. She turned to Astoria. Her face thrown into sharp relief by the light, clearly betrayed her fear. Daphne wanted to assure that it was fine but she couldn't because she herself was unsure.

She heard someone rattle the cabin door and immediately stood pointing her wand towards the door, while shielding Astoria with her own body. The door finally gave way and opened.

Standing at the doorway, illuminated by Daphne's wand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. It's face completely hidden by a hood so dark, it almost seemed to be made of shadows. Astoria whimpered behind her and grasped Daphne's robes tighter. Daphne recognized the entity and felt dread when she realized that she was facing a dementor.

The Dementor, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it was trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.

Daphne suddenly felt cold. Her skin immediately broke out into goosebumps. Behind her Astoria began to cry. Daphne felt the chill in her heart, as she was besought with unimaginable despair. She felt as though she would never feel happy again. In the span of a few seconds she visited the very worst of her memories.

She saw herself being pushed around by a group of Ravenclaws, including Chang. She saw herself being tripped and falling. She remembered the pain of her bruises, with her tears threatening to leak out. She remembered returning to her seat in the library after going to retrieve a particular book, only to find her notes destroyed. They had drawn and scribbled on the notes and had gone so far as to even burn some of them. Needless to say they had ensured that they were impossible to fix, even with magic. Daphne saw herself work late into the night alone, to redo them; a solitary figure kept company only by her shadow, casted by the lone candle flickering on the desk. She saw herself at the owlery; her place of solace; where she came after a especially bad day to cry. Away from prying eyes. Away from teasing smirks. She saw herself staring at the ground far below. The nights there were cold and the only noise was the wind and the occasional hoot from one of the owls. She saw herself sometimes contemplate that one step which could end her troubles. She would stare at the ground for hours, tears leaking from her face. But she was too much of a coward to go through with it and returned to the empty common rooms. Running up to her dorm, she would quickly change and fall into her bed, exhausted by her tears.

The Dementor withdrew as the door slammed shut after it. The incident should have lasted a few minutes at most, but Daphne felt that it had gone on for hours. She fell to the seat, completely spent. She realized that her cheeks were wet, a stream of silent tears flowing from both her eyes. She hugged Astoria who wasn't much better as she stared outside the window. The stormy dark skies reflecting her heart.

After a few minutes she heard a commotion. She could discern Malfoy's voice. Her cabin door was opened yet again to reveal him. Looking almost maniacal, he shouted in a gleeful voice, "Potter's been kissed by a Dementor.", before running off in search of other Slytherins.

The news didn't affect Daphne much who had much more pressing matters in her mind. The rest of the trip passed in a fitful silence.

* * *

Upon stepping unto the platform, she heard Hagrid's booming voice calling the first years. Astoria did not want to part from Daphne, but after a forced smile and a promise to be at the feast, on Daphne's part, she went to join the other first years. Daphne stared after Astoria as she ran to the boats and turned to see Tracy. Tracy hugged her without a word and Daphne felt slightly better. Her mood further improved after eating some of the chocolate that Tracy offered her. The two Slytherin's then went ahead to find a carriage.

* * *

The great hall was more subdued than normal, as they waited for the Sorting to finish. Daphne was sitting on one end of the table with Tracy across from her, an empty space on her side, for Astoria as promised. Astoria, herself was waiting for her name to be called, while whispering fervently with the other first years. She caught Daphne's eye and sent her a pained smile which she returned with an encouraging one.

Looking down the table she saw Malfoy chatting with Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy. Remembering his earlier comment, she turned towards the Gryffindor table, her eyes scanning it for a mop of black unruly hair. She couldn't find Potter but she saw Granger and Weasley looking miserable. Her attention was drawn when she heard Astoria's name being called and turned to see the hat being placed on her sister. Almost instantaneously the hat shouted "Slytherin!".

Astoria seemed as though a great weight had been taken off her shoulders as she turned to Daphne and flashed her a brilliant smile. Daphne beckoned her to the empty spot beside her. Astoria began to come towards her but was caught by the other Slytherin first years and forced to sit with them. She sent Daphne an apologizing look before being coerced into taking a seat. Daphne didn't particularly mind as she was happy for her. As it was she was used to eating with only Tracy for company.


	2. Chapter 2

A Blank Canvas Chapter 1

Author's Note: Please note that I plan to write this story from two POV's namely, Harry and Daphne. If I start the chapter with a certain POV I'll mostly stick to it. However I may write short scenes from other POV's to give depth to the story. Thank you to all of you that have followed, favourite and reviewed this story. A big shoutout to my first ever reviewer, Quoba. And once again a profusion of thanks to my beta, TheRainyAbe. I would also like to wish all my readers a very happy new year. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this note. Please follow and review, and perhaps favourite.

Beta's note: Holy melodramatic summed it up quite nicely! Thanks for reviewing.

DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs solely to J. K. Rowling.

* * *

Harry Potter ran through the forest, evading odd tree branches and stumps, his pursuer close at his heels. He tripped on a large root, but quickly scrambled to his feet. Hearing a laugh behind him, he spared a fleeting look over his shoulder but saw no one. No matter how fast Harry ran he could not seem to lose him. Oddly enough, his limbs refused to move normally. They felt heavier, more sluggish as though he was running underwater. The darkness around cast a grim sense of foreboding in him . His path was lit solely by the dull illumination of moonlight as it glanced through the canopy overhead. He was panting heavily, his face drenched in sweat. But he could not slow down, he was terrified of getting caught. And, so he ran, he ran for all his worth, his legs turned to lead, fatigue kicking in, all of him screamed in protest, yet he ran. The minutes seemed to fade into hours. He had lost all track of time and was unsure how long his torment would continue. Still he felt the presence following him. He heard the raspy breath of his pursuer and his footsteps close behind him. And, just when he felt that he was at his limit, he spied an opening through the trees. With a final burst of energy, he raced through; only to find the ground disappearing from beneath his feet. He screamed for the first time as he fell, but no voice left his mouth. The only noise was his pursuer laughing high up on the cliff.

The sharp stench of a sterile environment was the first thing that he noticed. He was lying down on something soft. He tried to get up, but his body refused to move. He began to get worried and wondered if he had been drugged. Through his eyelids he could see that he was in a brightly lit place. His attention was finally captured by the hushed conversation taking place around him.

"His vitals are normal, but that is not surprising with the victims. It usually doesn't leave any mark on the body", said a wheezy voice, that Harry didn't recognize. "However he was struggling a lot, to the point that he had to be sedated with a mild paralysis agent. This was most unusual."

Harry was slightly relieved that his paralysis was caused by a drug and not due to an injury. He was still worried about his location, but relaxed when the second voice joined the conversation.

"How unusual are we talking of?" Albus Dumbledore asked. He sounded tired, as though his long years were finally catching up to him. "Is there any hope?" His voice cracked with emotion and Harry felt a surge of affection for his headmaster.

" Albus, as much as I wish I could be wrong, I do not see much hope." the other voice consoled. " No one has ever survived a dementor's kiss with their soul intact. I am sorry. "

The silence that followed was unnatural. It felt like an eternity before the voice continued," I need to visit the analysis ward. I'll be back after making the arrangements." .

"Of course. Thank you Elijah. " Dumbledore replied softly.

Harry heard the door open, and it was long after the sound of the footsteps had faded that Dumbledore choose to speak." Harry I'm so, sorry. I should have refused when the minister assigned the dementors to Hogwarts. I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to make sure that Lord Voldermort is defeated for good. So please Harry, forgive this old man."

Although his eyes were still closed, Harry had a feeling that the headmaster was crying. He tried to move to convince the headmaster that he was fine, but his body was still under the effects of the paralysing agent, and his effort was futile.

He heard the door open again and heard footsteps enter.

"Albus!" the voice of his head of the house interrupted him. "Please tell me he's fine."

Dumbledore stayed silent.

Harry heard a short sob escape from her and a third voice joined their conversation. "This is all my fault. If only I'd gotten there sooner." an hoarse male voice said.

"No Remus, if it weren't for you, I shudder to think what could have happened to the other students in that cabin. They are fine only thanks to you." Dumbledore said in a kind tone.

Harry felt someone take his hand and caress it gently. He was getting frustrated with his immobility and furiously concentrated on the hand, trying to move it. However, if the person holding his hand noticed it, they didn't show any reaction.

"He looks so much like James. It feels as though I've lost him all over again." the new voice…Remus choked out.

"This is my fault. If only I hadn't let Cornelius convince me that the dementors were necessary….".

"NO!" Professor McGonagall sounded furious. "I will not allow you to blame yourself. The only person to blame is the idiotic minister. When I see him, Sirius Black is going to be the least of his worries."

"That won't bring Harry back. We should…" Harry had finally managed to move one of his fingers to press onto the hand, holding his. "HE MOVED! HE PRESSED MY HAND." Remus shouted.

"No, that's not possible." Dumbledore stated. "Harry, can you hear me?"

Harry twitched his finger again.

Everyone was silenced for a while before Dumbledore said in a stern yet hopeful voice," Remus call a healer immediately.".

Harry felt the hand leave his, which was quickly replaced by another, more wrinkly one." Harry! Harry stay with us." Professor McGonagall said gently.

Suddenly the room turned very noisy, as a large group of people entered the room. There was a buzz of activity as Harry felt spells cast over him. "What is it, Elijah?".

"This is very strange. His mental activity is normal and there is no visible damage to his nervous system. By all accounts he should be moving and talking to us, but why isn't he…" Elijah said, "Of course. I'm an idiot. He's still under the effects of the paralysis agent. I'll give him the antidote immediately."

Harry felt relieved. Finally he would be able to move again. He felt a tiny pinprick on his arm but it was a while before he could open his eyelids. He was surrounded by a lot of faces. Among them Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall's were in sharp focus. Both of them had tears going down their faces, but it was impossible to discern whether they were of joy or sorrow.

"Harry can you understand what I'm saying?" A man with light brown hair asked him. Harry focused on him and noticed that he too had been crying. Not trusting his voice, he nodded slightly. He attempted to sit up, but his hands gave away under him.

"That is the after-effects of the paralysis. Your strength will return in a while." The healer Elijah, said. He was a man in his late fifties with greying hair. "Why don't you try speaking? Can you tell me your name?"

"Haa-aarry Potter" he managed to say his tongue still slightly numb.

"Amazing. It's a miracle." Elijah said with a euphoric look.

"Harry, are you ok? Do you feel any pain?" Dumbledore asked him.

"No, just sore and a little numb." Harry replied.

Dumbledore was happier than Harry had ever seen him and Professor McGonagall had an almost cat-like smile on her face.

"Well, I'll give the healers some space." she said. "I'm sure your friends will be very distressed and would appreciate some news of your well-being."

After she left Harry turned to Dumbledore to ask the question which had been bothering him for a while, " Is everyone else okay?"

"Your friends are fine, Harry. No one else was harmed." Dumbledore assured him. His face suddenly turned serious as he began saying, "Harry, I'm so sor….."

Harry interrupted him by holding up a hand, secretly pleased when his hand obeyed him. "I do not know everything. But from what I heard, I do not blame you in the least, Professor." .

"Be that as it may, Harry, I would still not feel satisfied until you accept my apology" Dumbledore stated.

Harry sighed as he nodded to acknowledge Dumbledore's request.

" He seems fine for now . I'll let him rest for now and come to run some other tests in a while." Elijah suddenly spoke up, startling the two of them. Dumbledore nodded and thanked him, and Harry was finally left alone with Dumbledore and the light haired man, whom Harry presumed to be Remus.

Dumbledore noticing Harry stare at him said, "Where are my manners. Harry, this is Remus Lupin. He'll be teaching Defence against the Dark Arts, at Hogwarts, this year."

Harry turned to Lupin," You knew my father?" .

"You caught that, huh?" Lupin said looking guilty. " I was a close friend of your father during his school years." .

He spent the next hour hearing stories of his father during his school years. Dumbledore interjected occasionally with a comment, but for the most part Lupin described the antics that his father did. It made Harry very happy to hear about him. After an hour passed, he suddenly felt guilty, when he realised he was selfishly using the time of the two Professors. "Professor, I'm sorry for taking so much of your time. If you want, you can le…"

Lupin waved away his concerns, "There is nowhere, I'd rather be right now."

Harry turned to Dumbledore, who said with a kind smile. " I too, have no arrangements to be somewhere else. I am more than content to wait as, I would like to be present for the remainder of your tests." .

As if on cue, Healer Elijah gave a slight knock and entered. Smiling at Harry, he addressed him, "Harry, if you are feeling up to it, I would like to conduct a few more tests."

Harry looked at both his teachers before nodding his consent.

"Excellent" Healer Elijah commented before casting what seemed to be a few diagnostics spells on Harry. He frowned slightly at the readings, "Your magical core is much bigger than the norm for someone your age." .

"Is that a bad thing?" Harry asked worried.

"No, no just a little unusual." Healer Elijah assured him. "Now then I would like you to cast a few spells, just to make sure." .

"I am not allowed to do magic outside Hogwarts." Harry stated.

"Not to worry, St. Mungo's is exempt from that rule, as we have to check the magical cores of many minors, when they are injured." Healer Elijah explained. " Let us start with something simple. Could you cast a Lumos for me?" .

Harry shrugged and picked up his wand, which was lying on his bedside table. The familiar feel oh his wand comforted him. Taking a deep breath he casted the spell, "Lumos." .

Nothing happened.

Harry frowned, before trying again. "Lumos." Still nothing, not even a feeble glow. "Lumos. Lumos LUMOS." There was no change and the tip of his wand refused to glow. Frustrated and very worried, he looked to the healer for an answer.

Healer Elijah looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Perhaps another spell. One you are comfortable with. Which would you say is your best spell?" , he asked Harry.

Harry thought about it for a while before answering, "The Disarming spell."

Healer Elijah looked slightly surprised. He pulled out his wand and held it gently in his left hand, "Well then, go on, give it a try."

Harry pointed his wand at the healer and with every bit of concentration he could muster, he cast the spell, "Expelliarmus."

Healer Elijah's wand didn't move in the slightest. Frustrated, Harry attempted it a few more times. Each try more forceful, but to no avail.

"What is wrong?" Remus asked the healer, concerned.

Harry was scared. Scared that irreparable damage had been dealt to his magic, turning him into a squib. He was scared to what that implied. His feared and imagined the worst possible outcomes. He saw his wand confiscated, he saw himself expelled from Hogwarts. The desperate expressions of his friends in sharp contrast with Malfoy's ecstatic look. He saw himself go back to the Dursleys never to see any of his friends again, with no magic to boot. Desperate and on the verge of tears, he looked to Healer Elijah for answers.

"His magical core is fine and pulsing like normal. There should be nothing holding him back from using the spells." He paused then, and seemed to ponder something for a moment. " The only explanation is that he is under a lot of stress, which is preventing him from accessing his core. Heaven knows, what he must have experienced; being kissed by a dementor. I would recommend that he spend about a week here under observation, then be returned to his normal life. There is after all no better cure for stress than to be back among friends."

"Whatever you think is best, Elijah." , Dumbledore stated. "You will however understand if I assign a little additional security, with the current situation.

"If you think it is necessary Albus, I will not be against it." Healer Elijah assured, "As long as it does not affect any of the patients."

"Of course, old friend." Dumbledore grabbed him by his shoulders, "Once again, I find myself in your debt. I thank you for all that you have done for me and for Harry. If you ever need anything from me, you need only but ask."

Harry decided to put his two cents in too, "Thank you, Healer Elijah. I too am in your debt."

The healer looked at both of them and said, "I didn't do much. It was mostly Harry anyway. A miracle, if I've ever seen one." He sighed and gave Harry a smile. Heading out, he added, " I'm leaving for today. But I'll be back tomorrow to check on your progress."

Harry was once again left alone with the two Professors. "Goodness, if you would like at the time. We really must be going Harry. We'll drop by again at least one more time, before you are cleared to leave." Dumbledore said glancing at his watch, "I daresay you would like to rest as well." Harry stomach growled. "Forgive me Harry, I completely forgot that you might be hungry. I shall have something sent to you, shortly. Have a restful night, Harry."

"Good night Harry." Lupin added. He hesitated for a bit before reaching out and ruffling Harry's hair.

"Good night Professors."

* * *

Daphne Greengrass had a very busy morning. Unpacking had lasted well into the night, and she had not gotten much sleep. However she knew better than to sleep in late and had woken up with lots of time to spare. She had been one of the only Slytherins down on time for breakfast, and hence being one of the only ones not to be on the receiving end of one of their Head of the House's glares, at least until she had recited her choice for a co-curricular. Professor Snape had fixed her with an unnerving expression, but she had stared back, adamant in her choice. He finally relented and handed her, her schedule. Glancing at it hastily, she began to make her way to the first class of the term, Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs.

Arriving outside the transfiguration classroom she was surprised to see Weasley and Granger discussing something with Professor McGonagall. She stepped back out of the classroom and checked her schedule once again. Confirming that she had the correct class, she decided to wait outside. She was early after all.

Although, they were too far away to discern the conversation, Daphne assumed it had something to do with Harry Potter. Judging from the anguished faces of both the Gryffindor's the conversation was not to their liking. They seemed to be arguing with the Professor. Professor McGonagall fixed them with a stern gaze and said something before turning away. The Gryffindors sensing that the conversation was over headed towards the door.

She didn't hear much, just caught the last words of their conversation "….see him." Clearly angered Wesley sprouted an array of colourful words directed at no one in particular.

"At least he is all right." They passed right by Daphne, without even noticing her.

Daphne had heard rumours going on about Harry Potter, but she had no belief in most of them. She knew first-hand how it was to be known or alienated for something, you didn't even do.

Frowning at the sudden influx of bad memories she entered the classroom.

"Ah, Miss Greengrass. Please take a seat, as we wait for the others.", Professor McGonagall said in a slightly strained voice.

Daphne glanced at her, but her expression did not betray anything.

* * *

Harry was having a rather uneventful day. Healer Elijah had come in the morning to run some diagnostics and had a few words with him. Harry was a little disappointed to know that a night's rest hadn't done any difference to his magic, and he was still unable to cast even the most basic of spells. Healer Elijah had once again assured him that it would come back with time before leaving him to his own devices.

Shortly around noon, his boredom was alleviated when he had a couple of visitors. Arthur and Molly Weasley stood at his door with a concerned expression. Seeing them Harry gave them a smile. Almost immediately he felt himself engulfed in a hug by the Weasley matriarch. Her husband was more subdued, settling for a handshake.

"We came as soon as we could Harry." Mrs Weasley stated. "Arthur had heard that you had been admitted here, so we came first thing in the morning, but it took a while before we were let through." .

Seeing Harry's confused expression, Mr Weasley, began to explain. "I am sorry to bring this to your attention Harry, but the press have managed to learn that you were kissed by a dementor. Adding to the fact that your survival has become common knowledge, the press are having a field day. They are calling you The Boy Who Survived now. As you seem to be the only living person to have survived, both the dementor's kiss and the killing curse. There are also some researchers who would like nothing more than to run a bunch of tests on you. We had to go through quite a screening process, before we were allowed to see you." .

"I am sorry for the problems I have caused the two of you." Harry said sincerely.

"Think nothing of it Harry." Mr Weasley laughed it off. "Also, I'll send a letter to Ron later, telling him that you're fine."

The rest of their time passed with Mrs Weasley trying to get him to eat all of the food that she had brought along and deploring as to how thin he had gotten.

Harry almost settled into a routine. Healer Elijah would come around, early in the morning to check on him. Even though the days passed, Harry's magic did not return and Harry had a growing sense of dread. However Healer Elijah did not seem severely concerned and was convinced that his magical prowess would return in time. Harry did his best to share the Healer's optimism, but couldn't.

Over the next few days, Harry had a fair share of visitors. He was visited almost regularly by Professor Lupin, who always managed to cheer him up with stories of his parents. Professor Dumbledore dropped by once and stayed long enough to have a decent conversation with Harry. The Weasleys visited him on two more occasions. But his most interesting visit came the day before he was to be discharged.

Professor McGonagall knocked softly before stepping into his room.

"Good afternoon, Professor." Harry was genuinely happy to see her.

"Good afternoon, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall replied. "I'm sorry I did not come to visit you, but I had my hands full with the new first years. Not that it's an excuse, but Professor Dumbledore told me that you were fine."

"It's okay, professor." Harry assured her.

"I'm here to confirm your electives and hand you your schedule. Sadly Mr Potter, I must apologize, but since the lists were sent to the board, I took the liberty of putting you in the same classes as Mr Weasley, that is Divination and Care of the magical creatures."

"That's all right Professor. " Harry said, "I was planning to take those subjects anyway."

"I presumed as much," Professor McGonagall pursued her lips before adding," It is however the second choice that posed a problem." she said handing Harry his schedule.

Harry looked through it, before looking up confused. His entire Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings were taken up by "DELINEATION" . "Professor, What is Delineation?"

"Mr Potter as you may be aware through you letter this year, Hogwarts considers it mandatory for students from third year onwards to take up a co-curricular class. " she explained. "I took the liberty of placing you in Delineation." Seeing Harry's confused look, she added, "To put it in a mundane fashion, it means painting."

Harry had originally planned to take the same co-curricular as either Ron and Hermione fixed her with an even more confused stare. McGonagall continued, "Lily had a knack for painting and was greatly talented in this field. I thought that you would do well here. If you want we can always try to move you to something else."

Hearing his mother's name was all Harry needed to decide to at least give it a try. "What did Ron and Hermione take?" he asked curious.

"Mr Weasley took wizarding chess, whereas Miss Granger choose to take up Advanced Arithmancy." Professor McGonagall answered.

All the same that he didn't take it, Harry thought. He would not have been comfortable, in either of them. "Who else took up Delineation?"

At this Professor McGonagall looked sheepish. "I'm afraid that over the years this co-curricular has lost some of its appeal, and students don't take it as often. There is only one other student from your year who took Delineation up. It is a Slytherin."

Harry groaned inwardly when he considered sharing a class with someone like Draco Malfoy. "Who?" , he asked simply.

Professor McGonagall answered, " A girl named Daphne Greengrass." .


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** First and foremost a big thank you to all who have reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I am very humbled by the response. This is a rather short chapter and I must apologize for the delay. I was travelling this past week and was unable to write as a result. The next chapter will be longer, I assure you. As always thanks goes to my beta, TheRainyAbe. Thank you for taking the time to read this note. Please follow and review, and perhaps favorite.

 **Beta's Note:** _Reply to Kairan1979,_ It was a good catch on your part, the intention is not to portray McGonagall as a imposing authoritarian, rather an 'Older, better, wiser' (perfectly described by H.H. Munro) adult who has taken the liberty of making decisions for Harry. It happens all the time in canon, don't worry about it!

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs solely to J. K. Rowling**

* * *

 **Quoba:** Thank you for being my first ever reviewer. I would tell you who I am planning to bash, but that would spoil the story, so please forgive me that I can't indulge you.

 **DragonsinWrath:** Well… TheRainyAbe does always tell me that it's my strong suit. You made his and my day with the review. Thanks.

 **Kairan1979:** LOL. Well I suppose it is true that McGonagall would probably not have put Harry in divination…..but please chalk it up to creative freedom. Thanks for the review.

* * *

Harry was discharged from St. Mungo's a week later. Professor Dumbledore had come personally to pick him up. As all his stuff had already been at Hogwarts, the only things he had with him were his wand and his glasses tucked into his pockets. A few days after waking up, his vision had miraculously been fixed. The Healers were unsure as to what caused this, but weren't particularly alarmed or concerned. Harry was rather happy with this development, as it would definitely make playing Quidditch in rough conditions easier. It also helped that he felt more free than he ever had. Harry couldn't explain it, but ever since he woke up, he had felt like a huge load had been taken off his shoulders. Like he was chained up his entire life and someone had suddenly taken them off. If only his magic were to become normal again and Sirius Black would be caught, then Harry would be able to say quite truthfully, that he had not better than this, his entire life.

He was brought back from his thoughts when he suddenly realized that Professor Dumbledore was looking at him intently, waiting for an answer.

Sheepishly Harry said, "I'm sorry Professor. I didn't quite catch what you said."

Professor Dumbledore had a twinkle in his eye, "Well, I suppose you are happy to finally be out. I inquired as to whether you had cleared your subjects with Professor McGonagall."

"Yes Professor, I'm taking Care of the Magical Creatures and Divination, along with Delineation." Harry replied.

"Ah, Delineation. Just like your mother then?" Dumbledore smiled as they walked past rows of rooms, and into the lobby. "Harry, would I be correct in assuming that you are a stranger to apparition?"

"I know of it Sir, but haven't experienced it." Harry replied truthfully. "But Sir, Isn't Hogwarts an anti-apparition zone?".

"Yes, Indeed it is Harry", Dumbledore replied. "But being the Headmaster does have certain privileges. Now if you would kindly hold my hand."

Harry grabbed Dumbledore's hand and immediately felt a very uncomfortable sensation. When his vision finally cleared he realized he was on his knees in Dumbledore's office. "Are you alright Harry?"

"I'm fine Professor." He said getting to his feet, "Although I would appreciate a warning next time."

Dumbledore chuckled, "Well then Harry, you should get going or you'll be late for your first class. It is with Professor Hagrid, I believe."

"Professor Hagrid?" Harry was confused.

"Oh, yes I forgot to tell you." Dumbledore replied, "Care of the Magical Creatures will be taken by Professor Hagrid this year, along with his gamekeeper duties."

Harry was happy for the big man. That explained the book which Hagrid sent at least. Excusing himself he headed for the Gryffindor Dormitories. Almost immediately the whispers started. People openly pointed at him and some even went as far as running away, terrified. Harry sighed remembering last year, when everyone had believed him to be the heir of Slytherin. Would this year be the same?

He reached the dormitories and picked up his books. He searched for Ron and Hemione but they weren't there. He checked the time and saw that he had just short of an hour left for class. He decided that his friends were probably eating and headed towards the Great Hall. The whispers and looks he had gotten so far was nothing compared to the reaction as he entered the Great Hall. The noise ceased immediately as Harry felt all the eyes in the room turn to him. Whispers broke out and everyone kept their eyes fixed on him. Trying to ignore them, he began to make his way towards the Gryffindor table. But before he could reach there, he was tackled into a hug.

"Oh, Harry. We were so worried." He relaxed when he realized it was Hermione. Looking up he saw Ron walk slowly up to him.

"How are you, mate?" Ron asked him as he gently extricated himself from Hermione.

"I'm fine." Harry replied and then mouthed "Later."

Ron gave a brief nod as they took their seats again. Harry was immediately besought with questions from his house mates, and he did his best to evade them and reply vaguely. He didn't want to be the centre of attention, so he tried to play it down, but to no avail.

While assuring the Weasley twins that he was would be able to play Quidditch, a voice filled with loathing said, "Pity, that you survived Potter. The Dementor must have found your soul too disgusting to swallow." Malfoy said laughing at his own joke. As usual he was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.

Normally Harry would have been angered and would have responded in an unseemly fashion. But this time it was different. He was able to stay calm and replied in an even voice, "It will take more than a Dementor to kill me, Draco."

Draco frowned at this, "I did not give you leave to call me by my name Potter." .

Harry just smiled at him but before he could respond, they were interrupted. "Is there a problem?" the stern voice of the Gryffindor housemistress started.

Malfoy glared at her while Harry answered, "No, Professor.".

Knowing that he couldn't do anything in front of a teacher, Malfoy walked away with his cronies.

"That git…"Ron began.

"That was nicely done Harry." George said.

"Yup! The look on Malfoy's face when you didn't react to his provoke was hilarious." His twin added.

"Exactly! I'm proud of you Harry." Hermione said.

Confused at not just their response, but also at his own actions Harry mulled over it as the trio made their way towards their first class with Hagrid. He ignored the argument that started between his two best friends, as he reminded himself to tell them about his current, hopefully temporary, magical handicap later. Suddenly a very bad thought came to him. Would he be able to fly on a broom in his current state? Hermione noticed his agitation and stopping the banter with Ron, turned to Harry with a concerned expression. Harry, noticing this, told her the same thing he told Ron earlier, "Later, Hermione. Later."

Walking up to his hut they noticed him surrounded by a bunch of strange, large animals. "C'mon you lot. We'll be learning about Hippogriffs today." Hagrid said beckoning towards the bizarre creatures.

* * *

"I really hope that Hagrid won't be in any trouble." Hermione said as they walked back into the castle.

"That git. Malfoy clearly had Hagrid say not to insult them. He just had to get himself injured." Ron continued, fuming. "Hagrid won't get into trouble. Dumbledore will support him."

Harry nodded at Ron and turned towards Hermione to find her missing. He frowned, and looked around with confusion. Wasn't Hermione just beside them? He turned to see that Ron was not much better than him. Bewildered, the two friends made their way to their next lesson.

The Charms class passed without incident and Professor Flitwick managed to divert any attention from the fact that Harry was not performing any of the spells. Dumbledore had informed all the Professors of Harry's current problem and had asked them to try and keep it from becoming common knowledge. Even Dumbledore wasn't that naïve so as to think that no one would try and take advantage of Harry's current handicap.

Walking towards the Great Hall they were joined by Hermione. "Where were you? We missed you in charms Hermione." Harry asked her.

"Oh NO!", said Hermione exasperatedly. "I knew I missed something. It was because of Malfoy. I was so angry at him that I completely forgot about charms. I bet that Professor Flitwick was mad."

"How could you forget?", Ron asked incredulously. "You were just with us after Care of the Magical Creatures. Where did you suddenly go off to?"

Acting very suspicious, Hermione pretended not to hear him. Harry frowned but let it go. He trusted Hermione and knew that she would tell him if she thought he needed to know, whatever it is that she was hiding from them.

"Harry, where are your glasses?", Hermione asked them as they settled down to eat. "I thought it was strange earlier, but with everything that happened, I forgot to ask."

"There in my trunk.", Harry answered. "For some reason my eyesight improved while I was at St. Mungo's. The healers weren't very worried about it."

"I think it's nice.", Hermione told him. "You look much better without them. Look that Ravenclaw can't keep her eyes off you."

Harry looked at the direction that Hermione was pointing towards and saw what she meant. A rather good looking Asian girl was looking at him. When she saw that he noticed, she sent a brilliant smile towards him.

Blushing he looked down. He had never seen her in any of the classes he shared with the Ravenclaws so he assumed that she belonged to another year. He turned to Hermione to ask her, but stopped when he saw that she was in the middle of an argument with Ron. Making a mental note to ask her later, he resumed eating.

After lunch Hermione ran off to the Arthimancy classroom and Ron turned to Harry. "Let's go mate. We are supposed to meet up outside Professor McGonagall's office."

"I can't Ron.", Harry replied simply. "I didn't take up Wizarding chess . I joined Delineation."

"What?", Ron looked at him scandalized. "Why did you do that for?"

"Well my mom used to do it, so I wanted to give it a try." Harry thought that it would not be a good idea to mention that Professor McGonagall did not tell him before putting him there.

"Well I suppose you could always ask to switch later, after you're done.", Ron seemed convinced that Harry would join him soon. After a short wave in Harry's direction, Ron left to get to his co-curricular.

Luckily Harry spotted Professor McGonagall about to leave the hall. Running after her he called out, "Professor!".

Professor McGonagall turned to him and responded, "Mr. Potter. How can I help you?"

"Er….I'm supposed to have Delineation now so I was wondering where I was supposed to go?" Harry asked slightly sheepish.

"The Delineation sessions are held by Professor Burbage in the Muggle Studies Room on the fourth floor." Professor McGonagall told him. "She will provide you with any equipment that you may be lacking. I look forward to seeing your work Mr. Potter. After all I was a big fan of your mother's."

Smiling at the Professor he thanked her before heading towards the stairs.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass was enjoying herself. She had always loved painting. Her mother would often paint back in their manor and Daphne had picked it up from her when she was a child. She loved the feeling of creating something from nothing and constantly practiced to become better. In the corner Professor Burbage sat quietly, watching her work silently. Daphne was painting a forest scene. The sunlight passing through the canopy was illuminating the ground. There was a slight dreamy quality about the painting and Daphne was happy with how her work was going.

She couldn't believe her luck when she heard that she was the only one taking Delineation. It meant that these sessions were for her to be relaxed. She did not need the ice queen persona , which she had created to try and protect herself from the aftermath of the rumors. Here she could be herself and do one of the things she loved most.

She was startled by a knock at the door. She stopped and turned to see Professor Burbage open the door. Standing there, with his green eyes shining brightly, was Harry Potter.

When he explained that he would be joining the class Daphne's heart fell. Of all people, it had to be him that took away her sanctuary. Professor Burbage, obviously did not oppose Harry joining and asked them to introduce themselves to each other.

Harry thinned his lips in a similar way as the Head of his house as he extended his hand towards her. Looking wary he said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Harry Potter."

Daphne quickly put up her ice queen persona as she took his hand and answered in kind, "Daphne Greengrass."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

 **Author's Note:** I know I am very late with this chapter, so I would like to start off by apologizing to my readers. I had a very busy fortnight and was delayed in the typing of this chapter. Also, I know my chapters are mostly on the shorter side, roughly 2k words. But I'm afraid that due to college, I do not get enough time to type longer ones. I must apologize on that part too. Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited and followed. Please continue to give me your support. As always thanks goes to my beta, TheRainyAbe, and an additional thanks to my roommate, TheStormyBull, for his input and advice on this chapter.

 **Beta's Note:** Thank you for reviewing Outofthisworldgal, it made the authors day.

 **Gamma's note:** Thank you all having the patience for waiting for this new chapter, as my roommate is very lazy.

* * *

 **Outofthisworldgal:** Thank you for your review. It was very motivating and helped in the creation of this chapter. As for your predictions, I can neither confirm nor deny any theories as I do not want to spoil the story. The one thing I would like to clarify though is that even though only two students took the class from Harry's year, there are other students in the more senior years who take Delineation as well.

 **Kairan1979:** Yes, you're right. But then again Ron is nothing if not absentmindedly oblivious. Thank you for taking the time to review.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass did her best to ignore the new addition to the class, instead she tried to focus on her painting. It was much harder now as she had to make sure not to let her emotions show on her face. She was no longer alone. Her ice queen persona threatened to break as she struggled to paint and keep her expression stoic, while having to listen to the conversation that had sprung up between Professor Burbage and Potter.

He had become very talkative since Professor Burbage happened to mention that she knew Lily Potter in her school years as she was in a year below her. It was not that she did not understand that he would like to know as much as he could about his parents. But couldn't he speak more softly.

And did he have to do this conversation right now?

Exasperated, Daphne finally put her brush down and having nothing better to do she went to the furthest corner away from the two sources of her irritation and began to stretch a new canvas onto a wooden frame. Casting the correct spells she prepared a few moderate sized canvases. She was looking over them, checking for any flaws or mistakes, when she heard the Professor call out to her.

"Daphne, since you're already doing that." The professor said, "Could you make one for mister Potter, as well."

Daphne frowned. It wasn't that she particularly minded doing it, but this was a rather simple spell to learn and use. She wondered why the Professor was putting off, teaching it to Potter. She glanced towards him, but he refused to meet her eyes, staring intently at the wall. Turning to the Professor, she said, "Yes, Professor." before beginning the spell again.

* * *

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, when Greengrass stopped staring at him. He was thankful that the Headmaster had informed the teachers about his inability to use magic, for the time being. Professor Burbage had gone off to one of the cupboards, to get him the necessary equipment. Harry stared at his new classmate. She was a mystery to him. He racked his brains but could not remember any interactions, good or bad between the two of them. He realised that she had never participated in any of the prejudice and contempt that seemed to be directed towards him, from the majority of her house. He hoped that since they were in the same class, they could at least learn to be civil to each other.

Lost in his musings, he didn't notice that Daphne had finished and was staring at him, holding out a canvas in his direction. Startled he accepted the proffered item and said a little too late, "Thank you Greengrass."

She seemed surprised when he offered his thanks, and Harry took this time to look at her closely. She had pale blond hair that cascaded to a point below her shoulders. Her stance was wary as though she expected Harry to attack her. But the feature that caught Harry's interest were her eyes. Those icy blue eyes stared at him and Harry felt seized by a rush, that he had only experienced on the Quidditch field. Realising that they were staring at each other they quickly averted their gazes.

* * *

Daphne was surprised when Potter thanked her. She wasn't expecting him to even bother partly since she was in Slytherin and partly because of the rumours going on about her. She stared at his face taking in his bright emerald eyes which stood out in sharp relief, now that they were finally free of his glasses. His trademark lightning scar atop his forehead was hidden by his messy raven-black hair. Daphne thought about all the rumours that had sprouted about him. Whispered conversations that were passed around in the Slytherin common rooms.

Daphne chose to not believe most of them, not only because of her own experience, but also because some of them sounded impossible. There were rumours that Harry knew where the Chamber of Secrets was, and that he could control the monster within. That he had an entire army of Inferi at his command and that he was an emancipated Lord with powers beyond a normal wizard.

Of course, Draco did his best to keep people from spreading these rumours, lest they begin to fear the Gryffindor Golden Boy.

She realised, quite suddenly that she was staring into his eyes. Hastily, she looked away and saw him do the same. After a brief moment of hesitation, she pretended as though nothing out of the place had happened, and got back to her painting. Professor Burbage came back with a few supplies for Harry and informed him about how the club worked.

Professor Burbage told him that even though they could only use this classroom during the days that they had class, they were free to use the clubroom which was located near her chambers any time that they wished. She continued on to tell Harry that he was free to take any of his finished work to his dorm or leave them there. Finally she bid him luck and went back to sitting in the corner reading a book, while sending an occasional glance in their direction.

* * *

Harry continued to stare at Daphne for a while, trying to remember anything he might know about her. He remembered that according to Hermione that the Greengrass were supposed to be one of the twenty-eight Most Ancient and Noble houses. He had laughed until he realised that she was serious about the existence of such a bigoted system and was even more unsettled when she told him that the Potters were one of them. The jealous look that Ron had sent his way didn't help matters.

Daphne suddenly turned and caught his eye as though she had sensed his gaze on her. Immediately Harry tensed, but she didn't look angry. The expression that she wore was wary and unmistakably scared. He frowned and looked away. After a while, she did the same. He recognised the look that she had. It was the same one he had seen often in the mirror in the years before Hogwarts. _Was she bullied?_ he wondered. He almost scoffed at the thought. He seriously couldn't imagine a Slytherin getting bullied. They were the ones who did the bullying. But he couldn't have mistaken her expression. Lost in thought he stared at the canvas sending occasional glances at the Slytherin girl, being a little more discreet.

He jumped when he heard a voice beside him. "Is there a problem, mister Potter?", Professor Burbage stood beside him. Harry suddenly realised that he hadn't even begun working and had been staring at the canvas for the better part of an hour. He caught Daphne's eyes again, but her expression was different this time. Her eyes were narrowed and her mouth was a thin line. Her nose was lifted and she was looking down on him. She gave off an unmistakable aura of aloofness and seemed utterly unapproachable. She turned away almost immediately and Harry wondered if the earlier, scared look was just his imagination.

Realising that the Professor was still waiting for an answer he told her, "Not at all, Professor." He quickly picked up a pencil and began to draw the first thing that came to his mind.

* * *

A few hours later he stumbled into the Gryffindor tower only to find Ron and Hermione waiting up for him. Once he had started working, he had completely lost track of time. The strokes had become almost second nature to him and he had felt very calm. Before he realised, night had fallen. Looking around he had found that he was alone in the room. Harry frowned. He couldn't remember when the Professor and Greengrass had left. He stared at the paining in his hands. While it was far from perfect and very simplistic in nature, he was very happy with how it had turned out. The painting was mostly dominated by red, brown and other warm colours, was tucked under his arm. He was surprised to find that the paint that he had been given was enchanted to dry much quicker than normal paint.

Seeing him, his two best friends stood up and walked over to him. "How was it, Harry?" Hermione asked him almost immediately followed by Ron, "What took you so long?".

"I completely lost track of time." , Harry said sheepishly, as he tried to hide the painting behind him.

Unfortunately, Hermione noticed this and asked to see it. Although Harry was embarrassed at first to show them, Hermione managed to coax it from him. "We're hardly going to laugh at you if it is not good."

He let her take the paining and watched her as she and Ron looked at it. After a long time she handed the painting to Ron and immediately pulled Harry into her embrace. Harry was still not used to being physically touched and stiffened at first, before relaxing. Hermione noticed this and let go with an apologetic look. Ron came closer with an unreadable expression and patted Harry's shoulder.

After a while they left for their respective dorms. Harry changed slowly and kept the painting beside his bed before falling into it. He was asleep almost immediately. The moonlight shined through the windows onto the paining.

It depicted the Gryffindor common room with a sofa at the centre, which was occupied by two people. Hermione's unmistakable bushy hair fell from her shoulders as she looked at Ron who was saying something. From their expression and stances, it was evident that they were arguing. But the painting did not depict any animosity. If anything, it showed the two of them having a friendly and playful banter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

 **Author's note:** I know this chapter is short even by my standards, but I promise to post another one soon. A very enormous thanks to all those who have read, followed, favourited and reviewed. These things give me the motivation to write. If possible I would love to hear what you think about my take on Daphne's character. While I enjoy reading HarryXDaphne fanfictions; in almost all of them Daphne is shown to be this strong and independent woman. Therefore, I would love to know what you think on my version of Daphne. Thank you for reading this note; although my beta and gamma keep telling me that no one bothers to read them. Finally, thanks goes to my beta, TheRainyAbe. Additional thanks to TheStormyBull and TheRainyNinja.

 **Beta's note:** I would like to thank the reviewers for taking the trouble and sharing your thoughts. It really means a lot to us. The only problem is that the author constantly sends me the screenshots of his latest reviews, gushing over it, bugging me on the phone like, "Did you see the latest one?...You read that?". ITS BUGGING! Mini rant over. Cheers.

 **Gamma's note:** Gamma out..

 **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass belong solely to J. K. Rowling.

* * *

 **Outofthisworldgal:** Once again, thank you for taking the time to review. The painting is very well made though not perfect. After all it is Harry's first attempt. You are correct in thinking that Harry's inferiority complex prevents him from being too proud of his achievements. But that too is part of Harry's charm.

 **Leabharbhach:** Thank you for your review. I was happy to learn that the ending was sweet. It was my intention for it to be so, but I wasn't too sure whether I managed to pull it off.

 **Cutiepie120048:** Thank you for your review. I too believe that Harry deserves some alone time. Seeing how he was raised and what he has experienced so far, I am sure that he would sometimes enjoy solitude to mull things over.

 **Franko:** Thank you for taking the time to review.

* * *

Harry woke with a start. The fleeting after-images of his dream still pursued him. _Strange_ , Harry thought. While he was used to dreams, it was very unlike him to have pleasant ones. He was unused to waking up feeling so...content. He tried to remember details about his dream, but he drew a blank. He soon became irritated as he looked around the room.

Everyone else was still fast asleep. Harry began to search for the reason behind his early rise. Despite, Ron's loud snoring in the bunk opposite to his, Harry was sure that it was not the culprit. He had after all gotten used to it over the past couple of years. His stomach suddenly rumbled, and he realised that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before. He looked at the small clock between his and Neville's bunk, and saw that if he went down now, he would be able to eat breakfast. Although he would be one of the very few awake at this point of time.

He got out of bed and entered the adjoining bathrooms to freshen up. Fifteen minutes later, he descended to the common room. He was surprised to see Hermione working in one of the sofas. She was yet to notice him, so he went over to her.

When he was a few feet away from her she suddenly looked up and saw him, surprise evident on her face. "Good morning, Hermione." Harry greeted her.

"Good morning, Harry! It is unusual for you to be down so early.", she said looking concerned. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did.", Harry assured her. "I was just hungry, so I was going down for breakfast."

"Well, you didn't eat much yesterday.", Hermione observed. "You go on ahead, Harry. I will join you once I'm done with this Runes essay.", she said gesturing over her notes.

Harry nodded and began to leave. When he was at the door, he noticed Hermione give one last glance in his direction, before getting back to her work.

* * *

When he entered the Great Hall, he saw that there were only a handful of students there. Taking a place at the Gryffindor table, he sent an acknowledging nod to Percy Weasley who was seated some distance away. Harry quickly grabbed some of the nearest delicacies and began to appease his hunger.

After a few mouthfuls, he began to look around. The staff table was empty as none of the teachers were down yet. He spotted a few Hufflepuffs surrounding their seeker, Cedric Diggory, who was a few years older than him. Three Ravenclaw boys were discussing something with a lot of enthusiasm _. Probably something to do with the classes_ , Harry mused. Turning to the Slytherin tables he realised with a jolt that he recognised its sole occupant.

Daphne Greengrass sat alone on the snake table. Her head was bowed and she was eating quietly. It was as though she was trying to avoid being noticed. She looked up suddenly as though feeling his gaze on her. However she didn't notice Harry, her eyes on the door. Harry turned to see what had caught her attention and saw that Asian Ravenclaw who had been staring at him yesterday, at the door with her friends.

She noticed that Greengrass was looking at her and sneered at her. Harry was surprised at her actions and turned just in time to see Greengrass get up hastily and leave the hall, leaving her breakfast half-eaten. Harry frowned at this. This incident further cemented the nagging suspicion he had since yesterday, when he saw Greengrass's expression. The Ravenclaws took their place at their table and the Asian one noticed Harry. Again she sent him a brilliant smile, but this time Harry merely averted his eyes. He had suddenly lost his appetite. Getting up, he quickly left the Great Hall.

* * *

On his way out he saw Greengrass heading outside. Acting on impulse, he pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, which he had taken to carrying in his pocket, and pulled it over himself before following her. She passed by Hagrid's hut and hurried on, Harry close at her heels. After walking for quite some time, Harry began to wonder where she was heading towards. He kept a safe distance, so as to make sure that she wouldn't notice him. She headed towards the junction of the lake and the Forbidden Forest. Beginning to grow weary, Harry considered abandoning his pursuit. But for some reason he was curious to see where she was heading.

All of a sudden, he lost sight of her. He hurried to the place where he had last seen her before she disappeared, and was surprised to see a small and well-concealed path. Taking care not to step on any twigs or branches, so as to give himself away, he followed it. A short distance away, he came upon a large rock, blocking his path. Harry placed his hand on it as he circled it. The moment he was free of it, he saw her. Out of reflex, he ducked behind the rock, before remembering that he was under the cloak.

Slowly and quietly, he peeked out of his hiding place. He saw that they had reached a small clearing, with a breath-taking view of the lake. The only path leading to it was the way he had come. In the distance, he saw the Quidditch stadium, towering high above them. There were a few trees and Greengrass had sat down at the base of the biggest one. Harry saw her rummage through her bag and pull out a small piece of paper and a resting board, which he recognised from his first Delineation class. Affixing the piece of paper on the board, Greengrass pulled out a pencil and began to sketch something on it. Harry was curious and wanted to see what it was that she was drawing but decided against risking it. _I have become a stalker now_ , Harry mused. He continued to look at her and was very fascinated with her expression. Unlike before, she looked neither scared nor aloof; but content. It was as though her earlier façade had fallen and she was truly revealing herself.

Harry began to feel guilty, and decided to let her have some privacy. With one last look at her, he began to return back to the castle. After reaching Hagrid's hut, he slowed down and began to walk at a leisurely pace. His thoughts were filled with what he had seen today. Looking up at the castle, he began to seriously consider Greengrass' plight. After seeing the incident at the breakfast, he suspected that Greengrass was bullied or at least she was facing some problems. He considered asking Hermione if she knew anything about it, but decided against it. He wasn't sure what she would think of his growing interest in the Slytherin girl.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

 **Author's note:** First off, I apologize for the delay in updating this chapter. Last chapter was a rush. My follows and favourites doubled overnight and tripled within the week! My reviews increased to ten times! A very big thank you to all who followed, favourited and reviewed. I was really happy with how this story is being received. Please be reassured that if in the future, I am a little late in updating this story, that I haven't given up. I will see this story to the end. Finally thanks as always to my beta and gamma, TheRainyAbe and TheStormyBull.

 **Beta's note:** I sincerely thank all reviewers for their support. It means a lot to us.

 _Reply to Smutley Do-Wrong_ , As an aspiring fanfic author, I'm with you 100%. Your choice of female lead, the ideal scrutiny of responses of characters, which is needed in a particular cases such as Durskaban, Quirellmort scene, the 'effing-Basilisk'.. it all makes sense. But, I personally believe that the diversity in perspectives of the authors is what makes this community dynamic. Another point to be clarified would be the defamation, slander clause in the 'Sacred 28' club. Your approach is valid, the doubt is authentic, but we (the readers) have far too less an insight on the personal problems or what might be a 101 reasons of unresponsive actions, of the person in context, to raise a inquiry. It was a pleasure reading your review. Thank you for taking out the time.

 **Gamma's note: The Gamma is temporarily out of commission.**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs solely to J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **While I would like nothing more than to reply to each and everyone of you individually. I have come to the conclusion that it would clutter the story. And therefore after a careful discussion with my beta we have decided that we shall only answer to 5-7 reviews per chapter. However this in no way means that the other reviewers are not important to us. Therefore please do not think ill of us.**

 **Dorothea Greengrass:** My beta and I were pleasantly surprised to hear from you. We are both fans of your work and I am incredibly happy that you liked the story. Thank you for taking the time to review.

 **Smutley Do-Wrong:** Wow…First of all thank you for the long review(s).My beta has asked for the honour of replying to your reviews therefore I will keep this short. Your insight was very informative so a further thanks for that. I hope that you will continue to support this story.

 **EmeraldGuardian7:** Thank you for your review! It felt very energetic and was very motivating. I hope that this story shall continue to live up to your expectations.

 **Arkhan12:** Thank you. I had intended to approach this story in a unique way and was very pleased to hear that you find it such.

 **ThunderSphinx:** Thank you for your reviews. As I have mentioned before, I wish to avoid dropping hints about the story in fears of spoiling it, I can confirm one thing. (Minor Spoiler alert-All of you who completely abhor spoilers-do not read the next line)-Harry will be the successor to the Marauders.

 **My thanks goes to Kairan1979, ObsessedWithHPFanFic, Vi38, ProCaptured, Outofthisworldgal, Kluseqq, anarion87, Autumngold, Bob of the A, XxDragon King DragneelxX, InfintyMask, tanzar81, Riniko22, Ollivander7, hpnut1, Daithi4377, Treebrooke, Tersios, Devientity, doctor of supreme awesomeness, Tangyman, ArthurShade and to all the Guest reviewers.**

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Daphne Greengrass stared at the parchment in her hand, going over her essay, looking for any mistakes on her part. She was seated alone in the corner of the library, early that Saturday morning. Although most of the student populace were asleep at that moment, Daphne had learnt long ago to rise early. She had taken this time to put the final touches to her essay that was due next week.

Satisfied, she was about to begin gathering her things, when she noticed that someone was looking at her through the gaps in the nearby bookshelf. She tensed up at first, before she recognized the playful gleam in the eyes.

"Daphne! I was looking everywhere for you!", Tracy circled the shelf and came over. Daphne waited till she had taken a chair across from her, before retorting, "It's not my fault that you choose to sleep so late.".

Tracy rolled her eyes. "We can't all be perfect.".

Daphne smiled at her best friend and waited for her to reveal the reason behind her seeking her out. "Have you finished the Arithmancy essay?"

"I just finished it. Do you want to see it?" Tracy gave her a guilty smile. Daphne passed her essay across to her. While Tracy was going over the essay, Daphne's mind echoed with Professor Vector's voice.

* * *

"Hence the Charis Laws of animagi transformation states that the bond between the magical core and the ambient magic is due to strong mental defence. I would like all of you to take a moment to think on this." Professor Vector stated, writing a few equations on the board. "Can anybody tell me how one might avoid the recoil faced during the first transformation for an animagi?".

Daphne considered the question for a while before writing down what she believed was the correct answer. A few seats ahead of her Granger was literally bouncing in her seat, her hand raised high. Daphne hesitantly began to raise her hand, but almost immediately dropped it. "Yes, Miss Granger?", the Professor asked.

"We could use the Mind Clarity potion to boost our mental strength before the transformation." Hermione answered smugly.

"I can see how you got to the answer, Miss Granger. However it would not be possible. The potion would react with the animagi potion taken beforehand and the result could be fatal.", Professor Vector reasoned. Granger sat down, a very disappointed expression on her face. "Anyone else?", he asked.

Daphne considered answering but decided that it was a bad idea to draw attention to herself; she was probably wrong, anyway. After a few moments, Professor Vector broke the silence. "One can employ Occlumency to strengthen one's mental defences before attempting the transformation."

Daphne looked down half-heartedly. Beside the margin of her notes, she saw her answer scribbled; Occlumency. She would get the next one, hopefully.

* * *

"Daphne.", Tracy called out to her. "I'm done. Do you want to head down for breakfast, before the co-curricular class?", she said waiting for her answer. Daphne nodded her consent and began to gather her things again. Tracy waited for her and together the two of them descended to the Great Hall.

The Great Hall was bustling with activity as Daphne and Tracy sat down. "So how's your Delineation going?", Tracy asked her.

Daphne looked up from her food to answer her. "I am no longer the only student taking it. Another third year joined us."

"A boy?", Tracy asked suddenly interested. "Who is it?"

"Yes it is a boy". Seeing Tracy smirk she added, "It's not what you think. The new addition to the class is Potter."

"Potter?", Tracy repeated incredulously. "As in Harry Potter?".

"I wasn't aware that we have multiple Potters attending Hogwarts.", Daphne replied sarcastically.

They passed the rest of their meal, with Daphne explaining how she has come to share the class with Harry Potter.

* * *

After they had finished, they went their own ways to their respective co-curriculars. Tracy had chosen Advanced Arithmancy. While she was disappointed to hear that Daphne was taking Delineation, she wasn't particularly surprised. She knew first-hand how much Daphne loved to paint.

Daphne hadn't hesitated in the least while choosing her co-curricular. While it was true that she loved Arithmancy and having a knack for it she would have definitely taken it as a co-curricular, if it weren't for Delineation. There was nothing she enjoyed doing more.

Pushing open the door to the Delineation classroom, she was startled to find that Potter was already there. Despite the fact that he seemed uneasy, Daphne sighed inwardly. She was tired of keeping up the ice queen persona up while painting. Surprisingly though Potter had become completely engrossed in his work the last time, to the point that he hadn't noticed the Professor leaving. He was still painting when Daphne left. She had glanced at his painting before leaving and was rather taken aback from how good it was. While it was far from perfect, it was considerably well done. Who knew that Potter had such a skill.

She had to hold a smile back when she saw the subject of his painting. One could say a lot of bad things about Potter, but no one could deny his steadfast loyalty and affection towards his friends.

Potter looked over and noticed her. He gave her a nod, acknowledging her presence, before approaching her.

"Good Morning Greengrass.", he said simply.

"Hello Potter.", Daphne replied slightly wary. "Did you want something from me?"

"Um….what are we supposed to do?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Is there anything specific that we are supposed to paint?".

"There are no such limitations." Daphne answered. "We are free to use our time here as we please. However under certain circumstances we might be asked to paint specific things. Coincidentally there is a competition coming up sometime before Christmas, where we are expected to participate. However since it is an on the spot painting competition, there is nothing we can do right now other than practice."

"I see.", Harry said before thanking her for her time . He then went to the back and began looking through the blank canvases for a suitable one.

Daphne stared at him for a while before going to her own painting. The forest scene was close to completion and Daphne wished to finish it today.

* * *

Soon, Daphne found herself immersed in her painting. Her hand flew reflexively, coordinated with the picture of the forest stuck in her head. She completely missed the arrival of Professor Burbage, and jumped up a little when the cheery professor stuck her head close to the painting from behind her _._ She had stuck around for a while, commented on both their works and given them some pointers before leaving.

After a few hours, the two of them had put their incomplete work aside and left the classroom to head towards the Great Hall for lunch. Potter had gone off to find his friends to eat lunch with them, and Daphne was looking forward to chatting with Tracy and perhaps Astoria during the meal. However, she never reached the Great Hall.

A foot stuck out of a nearby alcove, and Daphne was unable to avoid it. She felt herself fall and landed rather hard on her face.

"Well look who we have here.", The voice immediately caused Daphne to feel dread. She stared up to meet the vengeful stare of Cho Chang.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6**

 **Author's note: PLEASE READ-PLEASE READ-PLEASE READ…This is a little hard to explain but I shall give it my best shot. Please read as it is very important. My old followers and favourites will recall that I posted a chapter roughly 2 weeks ago where I apologized for the delay and promised that I hadn't given up. Due to a bug, when I replaced the chapter with an actual chapter it did not register as a new update, and although the chapter was replaced successfully, the followers of this story were not notified. To put simply if you have read the chapter WHERE DAPHNE STARTS OUT IN THE LIBRARY AND MEETS TRACY, then you may continue while ignoring this note. However, if you can recall no such chapter, then please check one chapter back. To those of you who downloaded this story from the website or the app, I am sorry to say but the only way to view that chapter is to delete this story and re-download it. Severe apologies for the inconvenience caused. I hope that I was able to convey what I meant. Thank you to all my readers, followers, favourites and reviewers. Finally my gratitude as always goes to my beta TheRainyAbe and my gamma TheStormyBull.**

 **Beta's note:** Nothing to add.

 **Gamma's note: The Gamma is currently on vacation.**

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs solely to J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **Please read the Author's note, if you haven't done so already.**

 **To see my replies to the reviews please check the earlier chapter.**

* * *

Harry Potter walked through the deserted corridor. He had risen early that Saturday morning, and having nothing better to do, had decided to take a walk through the grounds. Although, he tried to stay collected, he was rather worried about his current predicament. It had been ten days since he woke up at St. Mungo's and his magic was yet to return.

He had faced more than a few problems over the past few days due to this. Although the Professors had cut him quite some slack, in the classes, Harry feared that if his magic did not return soon, it would get increasingly harder to keep it a secret. Even Snape had been surprisingly easy on him; if Harry didn't know better, he would say that he even looked relieved. He probably didn't want to lose the outlet for his frustration, Harry mused.

"Hello Harry.", a voice startled him.

Turning around Harry came face to face with the Asian girl who had been staring at him the past few days. She was smiling wildly. Despite his wariness, Harry gave her a polite smile. "Can I help you, Miss…?".

"Oh, where are my manners!", she exclaimed loudly. "My name is Cho Chang. I know who you are, of course. It would be strange if I didn't! What are you doing up so early?" she said rather quickly.

Harry answered, confused by her bluntness, "I was just taking a walk. But the same could be said about you. What are you doing so early?".

"Quidditch Practice", she said gesturing to her broom, that Harry had failed to notice. "I'm the new Ravenclaw seeker, so we will be facing each other this year."

If I can still use my broom, Harry thought. He had not had the opportunity to test it out. "I see.", he said simply, starting to wonder where she was heading with this conversation.

"Do you mind if I join you?", she asked suddenly.

Harry could not think of a decent response, so he shrugged. "Why not?". The two of them began to walk with no specific destination. Some of the nearby portraits stared at them curiously. Harry was a little confused, while he was used to being the centre of attention, of the general student populace, the portraits usually paid him no heed.

By the looks of it Chang had yet to notice them. Harry decided against bringing them to her attention. It wasn't as though they were doing anything harmful, after all.

"So Harry.", Chang started. "What co-curricular did you take?"

Harry turned his head away from the portraits to look at her and was startled to find her face uncomfortably close to his. He jumped away, unable to stop his face from heating up. Chang gave him a mischievous smile.

"Del…Delineation. I took Delineation.", he answered, partly to hide his embarrassment. Despite his suspicions about her, he couldn't deny that she was rather good looking.

"I took Delineation too!", Chang exclaimed. Harry glanced at her; he hadn't pegged her as the artistic type.

"I didn't know that you paint!", Chang said surprised. They were passing by the Transfiguration classroom, when Filch suddenly came out of nowhere and began to accuse them of vandalism. It took them quite a while before they were able to convince him that they were not up to anything.

"He's so annoying.", Chang sighed.

Harry answered, "I am not very good, but I'm trying to learn.".

Chang looked at him, confused. It was a while before she realised that he was answering her earlier question. "Don't be so modest. I'm sure you're very good.".

"No, I just started painting a few days ago and there are lots of people better than me.", Harry stated. He remembered his first Delineation class. As engrossed as he was with his painting, he had been unable to ignore Greengrass working some distance away. The fervour with which she painted was something akin to desperation. The forest scene was utterly beautiful, and the image of her painting had stuck with him. The same applied to when he followed her, the other day. Seeing the ease with which she drew, he could say with absolute certainty that for her art wasn't merely a pastime or a talent. It was something more, much more. Lost in his thought, Harry failed to notice Chang talking.

"Harry? Are you listening?", Chang said starting to get a little irritated. "Harry!".

"Oh, Sorry!", Harry said embarrassed. "What did you say?".

"I asked you, how many students took Delineation this year?", Chang said in a disappointed tone.

"There is only one student, other than me." Harry said. He remembered how Chang had sneered at Greengrass, the other day and was trying to avoid using her name.

"Who is it?" Chang asked curiously.

Harry looked at her from the corner of his eyes and said "A Slytherin girl. Daphne Greengrass.".

He did not miss the Chang flinching when she heard the name. I wasn't wrong, Harry thought. She has something to do with Greengrass.

"Oh, I uh… I see." Chang said slightly hesitant.

At this point Harry had decided that he was at his limit. For some reason it terribly angered him to think that she hurt Greengrass in some way. Realizing that they had arrived at the Great Hall, he said, "Well then, it was nice talking to you. I am gonna go the Gryffindor Tables to grab a bite. I'll see you around.".

Chang seemed both, disappointed and hopeful as she responded, "Okay, see you later, Harry.".

An owl sweeped in with the day's mail and Harry was reminded of Hedwig. I haven't seen her in a while, he thought. He made a mental note to visit the Owlery later.

Walking up to the table of the lions, Harry found a seat near Dean and Seamus. It seemed that they had seen him enter with Chang. They immediately barraged him with questions, and Harry spent the rest of the meal, convincing them, that there was nothing going on between him and the Ravenclaw girl.

* * *

After breakfast, he began to head towards the Delineation classroom, his thoughts a mess of his earlier conversation and his current handicap. Entering the classroom, he found that he was the first one there. He stood there uneasily, as he realised he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Was there anything specific, that he had to paint? He had an idea, earlier during breakfast about trying to paint Hedwig and wanted to try it.

The door opened to reveal Greengrass. She seemed surprised to see him there. He gave her a nod, before gathering his courage and approaching her. "Good Morning Greengrass." He said simply.

"Hello Potter." Greengrass replied slightly wary. "Did you want something from me?".

"Um….what are we supposed to do?" Harry asked hesitantly. "Is there anything specific that we are supposed to paint?".

"There are no such limitations." Greengrass answered. "We are free to use our time here as we please. However under certain circumstances we might be asked to paint specific things. Coincidentally there is a competition coming up sometime before Christmas, where we are expected to participate. However since it is an on the spot painting competition, there is nothing we can do right now other than practice."

"I see.", Harry said before thanking her for her time . He then went to the back and began looking through the blank canvases for a suitable one. Once he found one that satisfied him, he fixed it on an easel, before beginning to paint Hedwig.

After a few hours and a visit from Professor Burbage, Harry began to put away his work, only to find Daphne doing the same. They left the classroom together and began heading for the Great Hall for lunch. Harry found it increasingly awkward to walk beside her, and took his leave, running to the Gryffindor tower, where he met Ron and Hermione. Together the Golden Trio descended for lunch.

* * *

At lunch, Harry noticed that Greengrass wasn't sitting at the Slytherin tables. He checked twice to be sure but he couldn't spot her. Maybe she isn't hungry, he thought. But then again, it was strange as he was sure that when he last saw her, she was heading for the Great Hall.

Acting on Instinct, he let his eyes sweep across the Ravenclaw table. Chang was missing too. It's probably nothing. Harry thought. Maybe Greengrass decided that she wasn't hungry.

"So mate, what are your plans for the afternoon?" Ron asked him.

"He is going to complete his Potions essay, aren't you Harry?" Hermione said before Harry could put in a word.

"Actually" Harry started. "I was planning to go see Hedwig. I haven't visited her in a while, so…".

Hermione pursed her lips, "Well that's fine. You can do your essay after you're done.".

At the end of lunch Harry waved to his friends before heading to the Owlery. He was passing by the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom, when it suddenly opened to reveal an equally surprised Professor Lupin.

* * *

A few minutes later, Harry found himself seated across from Professor Lupin in his office.

"So how are you doing Harry?" Professor Lupin asked him concerned. "Are there any problems that you might be facing?" he said referring to the Dementor incident.

Harry suddenly remembered a question that he had wanted to ask Professor Lupin. "Sir, is there any way to fight a Dementor?"

Professor Lupin gave him a strange look. "There is a charm called the Patronus Charm. It is rather difficult and not many people can cast it."

"Could you teach it to me?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I can try." Professor Lupin relented. "It is a rather hard spell though, Harry. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Yes Professor." Harry answered with determination.

"Very well." Professor Lupin said. "Is your magic fine now?"

"No, it hadn't come back yet." Harry said pulling his wand out and demonstrating by trying to cast a lumos.

Professor Lupin watched him carefully. "Perhaps you shouldn't try to force it so much. " he suggested. "Why don't you try it again but relax and not worry about whether it works or not."

Harry thought this over and closed his eyes, before preparing himself mentally. "Lumos.", he said, opening his eyes. Although it was rather faint, Harry could definitely see a slight glow at the tip of his wand. In his exhilaration he released the spell and the glow faded. He cast it again, slightly more confident and could swear that the resulting glow was slightly brighter than the earlier one.

He turned to see Professor Lupin beaming at him. Before he knew what he was doing, he jumped and embraced the man. Professor Lupin was surprised at first, but after a few moments returned the hug.

* * *

Harry was ecstatic as he headed towards the Owlery. With the return of his magic, it was as though a huge load had been taken off his shoulders. He was humming and was on the verge of skipping too. Ignoring the strange looks that people sent his way, he ran up the steps of the Owlery.

Entering the Owlery he found that he was the only student there. It wasn't that unusual. Most of the students didn't own an owl, but instead choose to bring a cat or a toad. Hence they only came here when they needed to send a letter. Spotting Hedwig, he headed over to her.

When she saw Harry, Hedwig flew closer to him, settled on his shoulder, affectionately nibbling at his ear. Harry stroked her feathers when he suddenly heard a sniff.

Whirling around, he began to search for the source of the sound. Following it he went around the corner.

Hidden by a roost, sitting on her haunches, her back against the wall was a blonde haired girl. The rocking of her shoulders told Harry that she was crying. She had yet to notice him. Harry approached her slowly; the years of living with the Dursleys taught him to tread lightly. Slowly he reached out and touched her shoulder. The girl flinched before looking up.

Harry's mind blanked out as he saw her face. Her clothes were tousled, her hair a mess. There was a tear on her left shoulder and a steady stream of tears flowed from her bloodshot eyes. A very large red bruise marked her otherwise pale cheek. Harry felt his anger and concern rise as he stared at the vulnerable expression of Daphne Greengrass.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

 **Author's note:** First off, I would like to get a couple of things out of the way. Some of you have expressed concern that I have copy-pasted a paragraph from one chapter to the other. While this is true, I would like to point out that the two situations were pertaining to the same conversation, and it would not make sense if it differed with the POV. Second, Daphne's "Ice Queen" persona; in most fanfics this is Daphne's classic method of keeping others wary of her, so as to speak. But the ice queen in A Blank Canvas is different. In my story the ice queen refers to a state of mind where Daphne puts on a font, to fool others ( and herself), that she is not affected by their misconceptions about her. It is more of an illusion of an emotionless, unfeeling person. She probably created it as a defence mechanism, when Cho started pushing her around. Thank you to all who followed, favourited or reviewed this story. Gratitude as always, to my beta, TheRainyAbe and gamma, TheStormyBull. Additional thanks to my temporary beta, TheMistyCatleap.

 **Beta's note:** The regular beta is currently having exams.

 **Gamma's note:** Really excited for this chapter. Hope you guys like it.

 **Temp Beta's note:** Halo!

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 **Outofthisworldgal:** I really loved that idea about Hedwig. But I just didn't feel that it would go with the atmosphere. Thank you for reviewing.

 **daithi4377:** Thank you for all your reviews. As for the scar, it is healing slowly.

 **Dorothea Greengrass:** Thank you. I am really glad that you like the plot.

 **KrimsonTangent:** Thank you for being so understanding. MY college had very ruthless timing and I am usually too tired to write after my classes, and hence my chapters aren't as substantial as I wish they could be.

 **Aaron:** Thank you for your refreshing review too!

 **KnowPein:** I have cleared your doubt in the author note, so please check that out. Thank you for reviewing.

 **Additional thanks to jbfritz, Albionia, naruto, Vi38, Uzugaki, Kluseqq, BurningDay, Michand, Gime'SS, Arthur Shade, Tangyman, doctor of supreme awesomeness, Devientity, Tersios, TreeBrooke, hpnut1 and to all the guest reviewers.**

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Pain flared through her body, as Daphne withstood her torment. Her body ached and her cheek throbbed with pain from the impact of her fall. She felt someone grab her near the shoulder and braced herself, when she was thrown against the wall. Daphne wanted nothing more at that moment, than to curl into a ball and disappear. But she didn't cry. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much the tears threatened to burst; she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction. It was a small victory, but it was one she was adamant to grab, no matter what. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they left her alone.

She waited until they were out of sight, before collapsing against the wall. Wincing, at even that small impact, she slid down to the floor. Her satchel lay torn near her feet; her drawings and sketches strewn all over the floor. Thankfully, the corridor was deserted and was likely to stay such. Breathing heavily, Daphne waited for the pain to fade to a bearable amount. Chang had been especially brutal today. Normally she would sit back and watch as her cronies pushed her around, sending the occasional stinging hex at her. But today had been different. She had gotten physical and resorted to the more mundane means of inflicting pain.

Getting up, slowly, so as to not aggravate her wounds even further, she began to gather her things. Almost all of her drawings were ruined: stepped on, dirtied, crumpled, or torn. With each sketch that she collected, her heart grew heavier. She picked up one of the drawings and looked at it. Astoria. Her sister's smile was disfigured by a large tear in the paper and a distinctive shoe-print stood out in sharp relief to the paleness of the paper. Suddenly, she could no longer hold it in. Her ice-queen persona shattered as her eyes flooded with tears. Casting a disillusionment charm on herself, she quickly gathered the last of her drawings, before breaking into a run. Although she had no specific destination in mind, she found herself heading, instinctively, towards her sanctuary: The Owlery. Her disillusionment charm wavered; distress hindering her magic. Fortunately, she made it to the Owlery, before it collapsed. The Owlery was deserted. Daphne knew that the chances of someone coming here during the weekend were slim. She slowly went deeper into the Owlery before sitting down behind a roost. Burying her head in her hands, with only owls for company, she finally began to cry in earnest.

In her current state of distress, she failed to notice that she was no longer alone. Her sobs drowned out the soft approaching footsteps, so it wasn't a surprise that she flinched, upon feeling someone suddenly touch her shoulder. She looked up slowly to find one of the last person, she wished would see her in such a state. A plethora of emotions swept through her: confusion, shame, despair, regret. She sat there with her clothes dirty and torn and sporting what promised to be a large bruise, and stared at a concerned Harry Potter.

* * *

Two blue eyes, stared at two green ones. Neither made a move or otherwise: too surprised to form coherent sentences. They stared at each other, for what seemed like an eternity, before Daphne became aware of her predicament. Embarrassment flushed through her, as she felt her face heat up. Their trace broken, Potter finally broke the heavy silence.

"Greengrass?", he asked hesitant. "Are you all right?".

A rather stupid question, she thought. It was pretty evident, that she wasn't okay; but she stayed silent. She didn't trust her voice, and even if she did, what was she supposed to say to him? She hid her face between her crossed arms, which were resting on her knees, hoping that Harry would choose to leave her alone.

She almost let out a sigh, when she felt him take a seat beside her. Daphne supposed it was too much to hope that he would leave. From what she had seen of him, she knew that he could be very protective. Not that they were close, by any stretch of imagination. She would say acquaintances at best.

She peeked in his direction, to find him sitting quite close to her. Not close enough, that they would rub against each other, but close enough; that if one of them were to reach out, they would be able to touch the other.

She remembered the first time she had seen him. It was at the Sorting Ceremony. Needless to say, she knew about him. Being a pureblood, she had grown up hearing stories about the Boy Who Lived. The Greengrass's though often seen as a dark family, were more of a grey one. Despite what some people believed, the Greengrass family were as relieved as anyone else, when the Dark Lord fell. She had seen him as he was sorted into Gryffindor, shortly after she had been sorted into Slytherin herself. Life had been much simpler back then. She had been happy to be sorted in the same house as her parents and Tracy and was looking forward to learning all she could at Hogwarts….and then she met Cho Chang.

Looking back, Daphne was unsure as to why Chang hated her. He could not remember offending her in any way, to deserve such hostility and yet Chang jumped at every opportunity to make her life miserable.

Harry caught her looking and slowly raised an eyebrow, his question clearly written on his face. Daphne hid her face again, without answering. The air was thick with a tense silence. Daphne hoped that he would leave and briefly considered asking him to do so. She wished to be alone right now.

But before she could say anything, Harry spoke up.

* * *

Harry was conflicted. A part of him screamed at him to leave her alone. They weren't exactly close friends, that he had to go out of his way to help her. Besides, she probably didn't want him there. Yet another part of him held Harry back from leaving. He was stopped by her expression.. It was all too familiar and Harry couldn't help but want to assist her. And so he sat beside her and waited. Waited for her to stop crying. Waited for her to open up. Waited, so she wouldn't be alone. Because the one thing that he refused to do, that one thing against his very nature, was to leave someone alone, when he believed that they needed him.

He caught her staring at him; a hint of curiosity in her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her but she quickly hid her face. The silence endured. Harry's eyes were drawn to the tear at her shoulder.

Without giving it much thought, Harry pulled out his wand and cast a Reparo at it. The tear mended itself, leaving a dirty, but otherwise intact gown. It was only after the spell had taken effect that that Harry realised his magic had worked perfectly; perhaps even better than before. He berated himself for acting without thinking, but was glad to see that his magic was truly back. He followed up with a Scourgify, which cleaned Greengrass's robes. Harry wanted to heal her bruise as well; but didn't do so for two reasons. Her face was hidden from him and he couldn't heal what he couldn't see. But more importantly, Harry didn't want to cast spells directly on her without her permission.

Harry waited. In retrospect, he realised that she was probably not gonna open up to him. After all, they hadn't known each other for very long. In spite of that Harry really wanted to help her. Not because he was being meddlesome, but because he genuinely wanted to help her. He considered how he could get her to trust him, the only option he could think of was to tell her something, which he hadn't told anyone. Harry was conflicted; he really didn't wish to reveal this particular information about him. He glanced at Greengrass. Though she looked much better now, with her clothes clean and mended, he could tell that he hadn't done much for her distress. Though he could not see her face, he remembered her expression when he found her. He remembered the scared look which she wore in his first Delineation class. He remembered her sitting at the base of that tree, sketching, finally at peace. And he made a decision.

Taking a deep breath he began, "I didn't exactly have a happy childhood….". And so he told her. Told her everything about himself. About the Dursleys. About his life with them, He told her of the time when he received his Hogwarts letter and about the Dursleys trying to prevent him from leaving. About Hagrid coming to pick him up. About his first impressions of the wizarding world. He told her everything leading up to the Sorting ceremony.

Finished, he slowly turned to her, embarrassed beyond measure. At some point during his story, she had taken to looking at him. There was something different about her gaze, but he couldn't quite place it. After a long time, she spoke, "I didn't know…".

* * *

To say that Daphne was surprised, was an understatement. The picture that Harry painted of his life at home, was very different from what she had heard, from stories and rumours. His story explained a lot. His ignorance of the pureblood customs and lack of a sense of duty as the heir to a Most Ancient and Noble House finally made sense. It wasn't that he was trying to disrespect their customs, it was more like he didn't know how he was supposed to act.

Slowly she began, "I didn't know….".

"No one does.", Harry said interrupting her, embarrassment clear on his face. "You are the first person, I have ever told.".

Daphne was surprised yet again, "What about Granger and Weasley?".

"Not even them.". Harry said staring at his hands.

"I…I don't know what to say.", Daphne said softly.

"You don't have to say anything.", Harry stated simply. "I don't know why you were crying, and I know that you have no reason to tell me. But due to my own experiences, I can't just let it go and leave you alone. I understand if you don't want to tell me, but I still wish to help you in some way. I can't promise that things will go better if you tell me. But I can promise, that whatever you say will stay between the two of us, and I will do everything in my power to help.

Daphne stared at him. His words held a sense of honesty and she felt she could trust him. His story earlier had been surprising, but she got the feeling that he wasn't lying. For the first time, she stared at him. Not at the Boy Who Lived, not at the Gryffindor Golden Boy, but at him. A boy who struggled at potions but had a natural flair for Quidditch. A boy who was loyal and steadfast and genuinely cared about the people around him. For the first time, she stared at Harry Potter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

 **Author's Note:** It's been a very long time since my last update. I apologize for such a large delay. However my vacations had officially started, therefore I had decided to take a break from this story, but now that I'm back, you can expect more regular updates. Roughly between 10-14 days. Additionally, my beta, TheRainyAbe has posted his first story, A Subtle Approach. Please take the time to check it out. Thanks to all who followed, favourited and reviewed. Thanks as always goes to my beta and gamma.

 **Beta's Note:** Funny story, TideTurner27 got caught working on this chapter, during his Maths lecture. Thankfully, the teacher didn't read it out loud, but he did end up getting kicked out of class. For my own story, A Subtle Approach, I am sorry for not updating for quite some time. I recently joined college and it's keeping me rather busy. Hope to update soon.

 **Gamma's Note:** Nothing to add.

 **Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **TheRainyAbe:** A huge shoutout to my Beta, who went out of his way to become the 100th reviewer. He is the one convinced me to put my idea into words, and is the reason this story exists. I have known him for close to a decade and he has always helped and supported me, not just in this story, but in everything that I undertake. No amount of words can express my gratitude towards him for standing beside me, all these years, but this is a start. Thanks Rain.

 **So-Many-Ships-It's-An-Armada:** I just have to say. I love your name! Thank you for your review.

 **Bob head:** Your review went a long way in riling me up to work on this chapter. Thanks for your review.

 **The Ghostly Minion:** Thank you for your long review. You pose many interesting queries. Regrettably, I cannot expand on any of them, for fear of spoiling the story.

 **CaskettFan5:** Thank you for your review. I am happy that my Harry is being well received and that I was successful in my endeavour to have a unique Daphne.

 **Additional thanks to JengaMaster, chloevogel31, Sneky, hatethatiloveit, god of all, daphneslover, ThunderSphinx, A surya teja, Trystane Martell, WhiteEagle1985, Kluseqq, Uzugaki, huskerfan, bambampizza, Penny is wise, Dogco94, gryffinsdoor, berend van der akker, xNaruHina, gabrieljuarezl, Outofthisworldgal, Nocte Furorem, lilashannah, daithi4337, ProCaptured, Warmoes, The Shadow Mistress, Dorothea Greengrass, Framera joniea, Vi38, marcoglas92, steinerdavion2183, Gime'SS, Aaron, jbfritz, KrimsonTangent, Albionia, naruto, KnowPein, Ruairi J.L and all the Guest reviewers.**

* * *

Silence descended between the two of them once again, as Harry looked away. Daphne continued to look at him for a little while longer before looking away as well. They sat together in a comfortable silence. After a few moments, Harry spared a glance towards her and realized thankfully, that she had stopped crying. He noticed a familiar satchel near her feet. A few pages were sticking out. He realized that it was the same one that she had, when she sat near the lake.

"May I?", he said, gesturing to the satchel.

Daphne looked at him and followed his gaze. Upon realising what he wanted, her eyes widened. Immediately Harry berated himself. He should have realized that it was probably very private and she wouldn't want to show it to anyone, let alone him. He was about to apologize and retract his request, when Daphne's expression suddenly changed. Her face fell and her shoulders sagged. She let out a small, defeated sigh before saying morosely, "There isn't much left.". She buried her head in her hands again, before giving a short but definitive nod.

Harry picked up the satchel, before gently pulling out the drawings. Upon seeing them, he was rendered speechless. They were very well done and had a sense of realism to them. He could hardly believe that these were the work of a teenager. Sadly not a single one of these drawings were undamaged. There were tears, dirt and shoeprints all over them. Despite that, the drawings were beautiful.

"Should I try and fix them?", he asked her, curious as to why she hadn't done it herself. Probably because she hadn't had the time, he reasoned.

She looked up and answered almost a little too quickly. "No, I don't think you should do it. The Reparo and Scourgify spells are too overpowered for paper and parchment. The excess energy would cause the paper to rip.", she explained.

Harry almost smiled at her; not at her distress, but at the particular memory that she made him recall. He smiled at her reassuringly before casting the spell on the drawings. "Revero", he said holding his wand over the pages. A soft shine enveloped them as the tears mended and the dirt was thrown off; leaving the drawings as good as new. Satisfied with his work, Harry made a silent note to thank Hermione later. As Harry and Ron were never the most organised workers, their assignments often ended up untidy and sometimes, even torn. Seeing, their plight, Hermione had found this particular spell in the library for them. Needless to say, they had perfected this spell rather quickly. He was also glad to see further confirmation that his magic was back to normal.

He looked up to see Daphne staring at his work, wonder clear in her eyes. "Which spell is that?", she asked him.

"Hermione taught it to me.", he replied handing the drawings back to her. "I am kind of a messy worker, so she found this spell for me.".

Daphne continued to stare at him. Harry was startled to see her eyes fill with tears again. He began to panic. It had been hard enough getting her to stop crying in the first place, and he wasn't prepared for it to happen again. Daphne gingerly took the pages from him and held them close. "Thank you.", she said simply, her voice still watery.

Feeling very uncomfortable, Harry tried to change the subject. "They are very beautiful. How long have you been drawing them for?".

Pulling herself together, she answered, "These are all the drawings I have done since I came back to Hogwarts."

Taken by surprise, Harry all but shouted, "All this! In two weeks?".

Daphne flinched at the volume. Noticing this, Harry immediately cursed himself. "Sorry…It just took me by surprise.". In his defence, the drawings easily numbered into dozens, if not hundreds, and they were all highly detailed. It was hard to believe that it was all done by a single person, in such a short span of time.

* * *

Taken by surprise at his sudden outburst, Daphne flinched. Almost instantly, he began to apologize. Daphne wanted to tell him that it was nothing but she didn't trust her voice. Her heart hammered and for a moment, she feared that she had begun to hyperventilate. Taking deep breaths, she slowly tried to calm herself.

Although she knew that Potter would not harm her, her body had reacted instinctively at the shout. Years of being bullied, had definitely taken a toll on her reflexes.

It was normal for her to have a large amount of drawings on her at any given point. It was after all her way of letting loose; It was her source of comfort. It was like breathing, not a mere pastime, not just a hobby; but a necessity.

* * *

Harry was all but panicking; Greengrass had been taking deep breaths for a while and hadn't said a word. Her eyes were closed and he had no way of getting her attention. "Greengrass?", he tried hesitatingly. She showed no indication of having heard him. With every passing moment, Harry grew more worried. Finally, when he could take it no longer, he stood up, intending to call someone,. But before he could take a step, something stopped him. Looking back, he saw that Greengrass had grabbed him. She looked at him, and Harry could see that her breath was almost back to normal. She shook her head slightly, and Harry sat down again, his hand still in hers. With a jolt, Harry realized that this was the first time any of them had initiated any physical contact. It seemed that Greengrass realized this as well, as she quickly dropped his hand, embarrassment clear on her face.

"Are you alright?", he asked her concerned.

"How did you know I was here?", she asked, ignoring his question altogether.

"I actually came here to see Hedwig,". At the mention of her name, Hedwig swooped down and landed on Harry's shoulder. "And then, I noticed you."

Daphne smiled as Hedwig leaned over and scrutinized her, before nuzzling her slightly. Her investigation over, Hedwig flew off. The two of them watched her fly around for a while, till Harry broke the silence, "You should get that looked at.", he said pointing at her wound.

* * *

Daphne was brought out of her stupor at his words and nodded at him. She got up slowly, and dusted her robes. It would be best if she went to Madam Pomfrey, to ensure that none of her wounds had been infected.

"Do you mind if I accompany you?", Potter asked her.

She was about to refute him at first, but she thought against it. He had been nothing but considerate towards her, and it wasn't as though he was asking her for something big. Catching his eye, she slowly nodded. The two of them walked in silence towards the hospital wing. Thankfully their path was mostly deserted save for a couple of young Hufflepuffs. They stared at the two of them; it was after all rare to see a Slytherin and a Gryffindor walking together, but there was no malice in their stares. Harry glared at them and they quickly looked away.

Entering the Infirmary, the two sought out Madam Pomfrey. Bursting out of her chambers, she sighed at the sight of them. "Now what? Two of my most frequent visitors….I am used to seeing you two individually, often enough, Miss Greengrass with her clumsiness and Mister Potter….the lesser we talk about you, the better." Daphne wanted to disappear at that moment. Did she have to announce it so loudly? She looked at Harry to see him frowning. Sighing at the turn of events, she let Madam Pomfrey tend to her injuries without comment .

* * *

After thanking Madam Pomfrey, the two of them left the Infirmary. Daphne glanced at Harry; he had been rather quiet since Madam Pomfrey had let slip that she was a frequent visitor of the Hospital Wing. In an effort to get a response out of him, she rummaged through her satchel before pulling out a drawing. Handing it to him, she said, "This is for you, thanks for fixing my drawings."

She was successful as Harry, taken by surprise took the drawing. Embarrassed, she quickly said, "I have to go…I'll see you later.", before leaving him standing there staring at her drawing.

* * *

Harry didn't even notice her leave. He continued to stand there and stare at the drawing that she had given him. Golden lines, criss-crossed across the paper in intricate patterns, perfectly capturing the motions of a Snitch in flight.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 09

Author's Note: Been a while since I last updated. On the bright side, this chapter is slightly longer than my usual ones. Also the next chapter is already done so I'll post it within a few days. This chapter is different than my usual ones. The next chapter will be more like the rest of my story. But this chapter was important in its own way. Thanks to all who have read, followed, favourited and reviewed. Thanks as always to TheRainyAbe and TheStormyBull. Please review.

Beta's Note: Hey Everyone! I find this chapter to be the best one that my friend has written so far and I'm sure it'll keep getting better.

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Since many of you have pointed out that my review replies cause the chapter to be overinflated, I have decided to cut back on them.

The-Lazy-Bum: Thanks you for your review. It helped me with one of my biggest insecurities about this chapter.

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Harry

The Gryffindor common room could be described as many things; quiet was not one of them. However on this instance, it was even less so. The air was filled with excited voices from the multiple conversations taking place in varied groups around the room. It was to this scene, that Harry walked into. He looked around in mild curiosity, wondering what had gotten everyone so riled up. Spotting his friends sitting on one of the sofas, he walked up to them.

"What's going on?", he asked.

"Hogsmeade.", Hermione said simply. "The notice for the first visit was just posted.".

"It's this weekend", Ron added enthusiastically.

Immediately Harry's mood plummeted. He had been unable to secure the necessary permission slip from his guardians. "Well I can't go.", he started.

Hermione seemed non-plussed at this, unlike Ron who immediately shouted, Why not?".

"The Dursleys didn't sign my slip.", Harry explained.

"Why don't you go to Professor McGonagall?", Ron said after thinking for a moment. " I'm sure she'd allow you to go if you explained about the Muggles."

"That's actually not a bad idea.", Harry said with a glimmer of hope. He stood up intending to find McGonagall, but he was stopped by Hermione.

"I don't think you should do it Harry.", she said throwing a sharp glare in Ron's direction.

Harry hesitated at the tone of her voice, "What do you mean?".

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be outside the castle.", she said. "With Sirius Black on the loose, you would be in danger if you went to Hogsmeade."

"C'mon Hermione.", Harry replied. "What could possibly happen in front of all those people? I'll be perfectly safe."

"How can you say that?" Hermione said heatedly. "Don't you care about yourself and all the people that you would put in danger?".

The argument between the two of them escalated until Harry left the room in a fit of irritation. Neither of them noticed the twin redheads hovering nearby, eavesdropping on their conversation.

* * *

The next day Harry had calmed down enough to realize that Hermione was only worried for him. Not that he agreed with her. He was still convinced that nothing could go wrong in front of such a large group of people. But he couldn't well be mad at someone who was only watching out for him.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Professor Lupin walked in. Immediately the conversations around the room died out, as they waited for the new Professor to begin the lesson. Everyone was originally curious as to his skill in the subject, and Harry was the only one who hadn't had a class with him yet. He was determined to keep an open mind, despite Lupin's appearance. He knew first-hand that shabby clothes did not reveal anything about the person wearing them, and from his own interactions with Professor Lupin, he knew that the man was intelligent.

Professor Lupin for his part smiled at them. Rummaging into his pockets, he said, "Put your books away. You won't be needing them for today's lesson.". Everyone frowned as they did what they were told. Professor Lupin slowly pulled out a small replica of a wardrobe before placing it on the floor. Pointing his wand at it, he incanted, "Engorgio." The wardrobe grew rapidly until it reached its full height. Holding the door closed, was a big red lock. Everyone stared at it curiously. Suddenly the wardrobe gave a small rattle causing Parvati and Lavender, who were seated in the front row to yelp.

"Nothing to worry about.", Professor Lupin said reassuringly. "Today we shall be covering Boggarts."

* * *

Harry took a deep breath as he waited outside the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom. Beside him Hermione was muttering something under her breath, apprehension clear on her face. Ron was pacing the corridor, stopping occasionally and looking as though he was about to throw up. The rest of the class were scattered around the corridor, waiting nervously.

Professor Lupin had sent them outside to wait after giving them a brief lesson on Boggarts. He had taught them the counter-spell and had stated that he wanted everyone to try facing them once. If Harry didn't know any better, he would have thought that Lupin was a sadist. However he was grateful that everyone would face the Boggart individually. It was a blessing in disguise, despite the fact that it took away the meagre comfort that their numbers provided. After all, he didn't want everyone to know his biggest fear.

Harry considered the possibilities. He had a sinking suspicion that he knew what it was, but he hoped that he was wrong. In an effort to convince himself, he began to consider the other most likely candidates. Voldermort was one of them. Harry knew he feared him to a certain degree, but his hate far outpaced it. The Basilisk was another possibility, the Dementor another. He was considering the implications of the different outcomes, when Hermione's name was called. She was clearly very worried. Ron stopped his pacing and sent her a reassuring smile, though he still looked green. Harry reached out and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, mirroring Ron's smile. Giving them an appreciative nod, Hermione walked into the classroom.

Returning to his musings, Harry considered another likely outcome. His Uncle. Harry was truly afraid of him, and for good reason. The memory of his last beating caused him to wince slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Ron as he took Hermione's place beside him. He nudged Harry slightly with his shoulder, to try and placate him. Harry was about to say something, when Professor Lupin called on him.

His words died in his throat as his vision narrowed. Taking another deep breath he stepped forward. Ron said something but Harry couldn't quite make it out as he walked into the defence classroom and stood in front of the wardrobe.

* * *

Lupin

Remus stared apprehensively at the son of his best friend. He was concerned about what was to follow; knowing that Harry's boggart would likely be something far greater than a normal thirteen year old. He went over the basic incantation with Harry once again, before casting the unlocking charm on the lock. He stood there, wand in hand, as Harry faced his boggart, ready to step in if required.

Nothing could have prepared him for what followed.

A figure stepped out of the wardrobe, and Remus's face lost all colour. The man stood, gazing at them with an impassive expression. His dark robes billowed around him, his stance tall and unmoving. Remus stepped back as he stared at the familiar face. The messy black hair had faded to a pale white that seemed devoid of any colour. His eyes, once full of mirth and mischief were a bright red. His cheekbones far more pronounced than they had been in life, gave him a dark look. It was so familiar and at the same time it was not.

"James…..", he managed to stutter out.

* * *

Harry

Harry had begun to hyperventilate as his greatest nightmare took form before him. He heard Professor Lupin beside him ,"James…". But he knew that he was wrong. The man that stood before him was not his father. Harry's eyes went to the figure's forehead. The pale skin was marred only by a small scar. A scar in the shape of a lightning bolt.

The apparition turned his gaze on Harry, and Harry froze. It just stood there, its smoky capes billowing slightly despite the lack of wind. Harry began to tremble as he met its gaze. It stared unmoving, impassively at Harry. It didn't say a word. It didn't have to.

Harry felt his legs give way beneath him as he crumpled to the floor. Hastily he tried to scramble back, but his limbs felt like jelly. Professor Lupin stepped forward and tried to stop it. "Riddikulus", he said. There was no effect on the apparition. It continued to stare at them, as it took a step forward. Harry screamed.

Harry's magic reacted to his primal instinct of wanting to get away from the apparition. No wand or incantation was required as his magic responded to his fear. The figure was thrown back towards the wardrobe with a force that caused the nearby desks to smash against the wall. But his magic was not done yet. Unhindered by any limitations placed on it, Harry's magic surged out of him in what can only be described as a destructive wave. Professor Lupin barely had the time to shield himself as he too was thrown against the wall. The ground under Harry cracked under the pure pressure generated by his magic. The wardrobe was lifted from the ground and thrown against the far wall. The impact caused it to shatter, as a thick fog encompassed it. Harry's magic continued to push and the wall gave way. Satisfied that the threat was gone the outburst subsided, as the magic retreated back into Harry.

Exhausted Harry looked around in fear and confusion. The entire classroom was a mess. Most of the desks and chairs had shattered. Behind him Professor Lupin was crumpled on the floor, his back against the wall; conscious but barely so. Beside him the door of the classroom had been blasted into smithereens, as the other students gazed wide eyed through it. Harry looked ahead again. The last scene he saw, before losing consciousness was the open sky, through the large hole he had just opened up, into the side of the castle.

* * *

Harry slowly opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the Hospital Wing. He was about to sit up, when he realised that he was not alone. Professor Lupin was sitting beside him. When he saw that Harry was awake he asked him, "Are you okay?".

Remembering the events leading up to this, Harry asked, "How long was I out?".

"Just a couple of hours.", Lupin replied. "Was anyone…".

"Everyone is fine.", Lupin reassured him. "The walls absorbed the brunt of the impact. And thankfully no one was standing near the door."

Harry let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Lupin turned the chair he was sitting on to face Harry. Turning very serious, he asked him, "What was that Harry?".

"I don't know.", Harry answered truthfully. "I wasn't trying to do…", He was cut off by Professor Lupin. "I'm not talking about your outburst. It isn't surprising for magic to react in certain situations. I want to know about your Boggart. Was that James…?" he trailed off.

Harry stayed silent for a moment. He glanced at Lupin to find him, looking at him with concern. After a long time he began. "My biggest fear is not a monster. It is not something tangible. It is a possible future. The boggart was me…or more accurately; who I will be."

Lupin leaned forward, completely focused on Harry. "For a long time I have been unsettled by the similarities between me and Voldermort.". Unlike many people Lupin did not flinch at the mention of his name. Frowning, he asked him, "What do you mean?".

"I haven't told this to anyone….but the Hat originally wanted to put me in Slytherin.", Harry continued. "It was only upon my insistence that it put me in Gryffindor. We are both half-bloods. We are both orphans who were raised in a hostile environment." Lupin frowned at this and opened his mouth to say something, but Harry continued talking. " We are both parseltongues. The first ones in a long time. We even look somewhat similar. "

Lupin didn't know what to say, "Harry that isn't…".

He was cut off once again by Harry, "That is what bothers me the most. That I'll end up like him. A mindless monster. A Freak." The years of abuse at the hands of the Dursleys had caused Harry's self-esteem to be virtually non-existent. Years of being called a Freak had left its mark on his psyche. At this point Harry began to do something he hadn't done on a long time. He began to cry.

Lupin was speechless. This wasn't a child throwing a tantrum. Nor was this someone releasing pent up emotions through tears. The sobs the raked Harry was something deeper. It was as though something had broken within Harry. He didn't know what to say. He had failed James and Lily. He would never have guessed that Harry was hiding such despair. In his previous interactions he had seemed like a strong, inquisitive young man; not the broken boy that he was now. He berated himself for taking this lesson. Recalling an earlier conversation with Harry, he steeled himself and grabbed Harry by the shoulder. Looking him in the eye he said, "You are nothing like that madman and I am going to prove it.".

Harry looked at him through watery eyes, confused.

"I am going to teach you something that Voldermort couldn't dream to achieve in a million years. Hope. I am going to teach you how to make a patronus.".


End file.
